Screaming on a rollercoaster while intoxicated by the speed – is that normal or even healthy?
Naturheilzentrum Bottrop: health knowledge – what influence screaming has on our health
It is a very special moment. The first cry of a newborn child. The first announcement, loudly and clearly stating: I’m here. Eagerly awaited by the brand-new parents. They will never forget their child’s first cry. And it will sound different from the other screams that follow during the course of his/her life. Because one cry is by no means like another.
When we raise our voices to start screaming, it is an expression – a form of communication. The scream should make something clear, e.g., that we do not feel well. Children use this to communicate that they are tired, hungry or hurt. For them, screaming and crying are the only means of telling those around them what their state of mind is. At least until they have acquired the use of language. With the support of individual facial expressions, parents usually know immediately where the children’s shoes are hurting them. That the baby’s diaper is full, that their last meal is already too long ago or that the little Person just longs for closeness and security. The screaming stops and the child calms down as soon as his/her needs are seen to.
Cries of joy – an expression of positive emotions
The older we get, the less we scream our needs out loud. We acquire other communication skills. Screaming only takes place in exceptional cases, and it is not always motivated by displeasure. There are also cries of joy. After you win a big title, a special race or the long-awaited dream of the championship finally comes true, your exuberant joy simply has to pour out. We don’t think about it; it’s just pure emotion. It can also be seen elsewhere. And heard. Screaming, yelling – we do it automatically, namely during a fast ride on a rollercoaster. It’s triggered through being intoxicated by the speed. It’s a collective reaction.
Screaming is a valve. It’s also used to release our anger. It is then no longer about content, but about volume, about domination, and about intimidation of our opponent. But regardless of whether we are angry or loudly celebrating a grand victory, our bodies will release more cortisol when we scream. This hormone is produced in the adrenal glands and is also commonly known as a ‘stress hormone’. That sounds negative, but: “cortisol is vital,” explains Farid Zitoun from Naturheilzentrum Bottrop. Regarding this specific topic there is also a Naturheilzentrum nabomade tumblr blog titled “Die Kunst des Schreiens – was hat sie mit Gesundheit zu tun” ).
Stress hormone – we wouldn’t get far without cortisol
And the complementary-medicine practitioner knows why. The hormone has a number of important functions: it has an anti-inflammatory effect, it regulates our blood sugar and controls the body’s own protein and fat metabolism. “Without cortisol, the Human race would certainly not have gotten so far in terms of evolution. Because an increase in the production of cortisol under stress prepares the body for a ‘fight-or- flight’ response. On many occasions, that was probably the most important way to ensure survival.”
But as always, the whole thing has two sides. The high cortisol level generates a short-term increase in available energy by suppressing other systems. For example, the immune system. “That’s why stress is so dangerous for us, at least regarding its long-term effects,” warns Zitoun. A permanently high cortisol level can increase blood pressure. A real risk factor for a heart attack. And the hormone is considered as a fattening agent because our brain demands significantly more nutrition when we are under pressure. A protective mechanism – because this ensures that we are prepared for longer periods of stress or stressful situations. If this is not resolved, the huge amount of energy that we top up via sweet and high-calorie foods cannot be expended. The result: we continually put on weight.
Can you banish evil spirits at the ‘Naki-Sumo’ screaming event?
The frustration we then get when we look in the mirror is immense. And we could start to scream at the sight of the problem zones, which are not only clearly visible when we put on our bathing outfits. We could scream with anger, with disappointment. But not with the intention of extending our lives. However, that’s what the Japanese assume will happen. Because screaming has a completely different tradition there. In the Land of the Rising Sun, emphasis is put on the fact that screaming is healthy, and healthy growth is especially beneficial for babies. Screaming takes place at the Naki Sumo event. The competition has occurred annually for over 400 years. Always in the spring in front of the Sensoji temple in Tokyo. The main players are children who were born in the previous year. The rules are simple: two sumo wrestlers try to make each other’s baby cry. The one screams the loudest and longest is the winner. And he or she is the most successful at banishing the demons. A bizarre tradition. But at least the Japanese have achieved one thing. They have made it into the Atlas Obscura with their Naki Sumo ()
Is crying harmful to babies?
For parents in central Europe, such a tradition is incomprehensible. They do everything to make sure that their child does not scream at all. It was still quite common in the middle of the last century to quickly get the newborn used to a routine with set mealtimes – this included simply letting the children scream in between. Now the debate about this approach has flared up once again. The paper in the June 2016 edition of ‘American Pediatrics’ by the Australian, Michael Gradisar, from Flinders University in Adelaide was also not entirely unaffected by this issue. With the results of his investigation, the sleep expert attempts to take the wind out of the sails of the opponents of screaming. “Many young parents are worried that high cortisol levels in their child’s body, which are caused by crying, may have long-term consequences, e.g., by inhibiting the development of the immune system,” as Farid Zitoun knows. Damage to the central nervous system and a negative impact on growth and learning are also frequently mentioned.
The health expert allays these fears. Not every baby is a so-called ‘screamer’. The amount that a child screams will vary from baby to baby. What is important to recognize is that screaming is simply part of the baby’s life in the first few months. After the first few weeks of life, the periods of screaming usually become less, and after three to four months the new arrival will have found a routine between sleeping and being awake. “There are always setbacks,” Zitoun says.
He also places reliance on the gut feeling of the young parents. “You will intuitively find your own way to calm your child and help him/her to find a routine with the aid of closeness and care.” And the naturopath recommends a cup of green tea so that the stresses of family life do not become too much for the brand-new parents. “Most People think that coffee strengthens our nerves, but caffeine is rather counterproductive for inner peace.” Green tea, on the other hand, contains theanine, a substance with calming effects. “It helps you to settle down, calms the parents, and therefore your child as well.”