Harden Elkington
Ice cream headache, cold stimulus headache, and sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia are examples of brain freeze. It’s a quick-onset headache that’s associated with eating ice cream, ice pops, or drinking extremely chilly beverages.
The pain usually peaks within a few seconds and then subsides.
What causes brain freeze?
There’s still some debate over what exactly causes brain freeze, but most neuroscientists believe it has to do with the way cold stimuli affect blood vessels in the roof of your mouth.
When you eat something cold, the blood vessels constrict and then quickly expand. This expansion causes a rapid influx of blood, which can lead to pain in the head and temples.
Some people are more prone to brain freeze than others. Factors that may increase your risk include drinking cold beverages too fast, eating ice cream or popsicles quickly, and having a sensitive palate.
How can you prevent brain freeze?
The best way to prevent brain freeze is to eat or drink cold items slowly. You can also try chewing gum or sucking on a candy bar to increase saliva flow and help protect your palate from the cold.
If you do experience a brain freeze, taking a few deep breaths may help to ease the pain.
Is brain freeze harmful?
In most cases, brain freeze is harmless. However, if you experience frequent or severe brain freeze, it may be a sign of an underlying health condition.
If you’re experiencing regular brain freeze and it’s accompanied by other symptoms, such as a headache, please see your doctor.
What happens to your brain during a brain freeze?
When you slurp a really cold drink or eat ice cream too fast, the temperature of the back of your throat at the junction of the internal carotid artery, which provides blood to the brain, and the anterior cerebral artery, where brain tissue begins, changes rapidly.
“Brain freeze is a mechanism that prevents you from changing things,” Godwin said. “It’s a protective response that keeps you from overcooling your brain.”
In other words, by causing a rapid increase in blood flow to the brain, brain freeze actually protects your neurons from being damaged by the cold.
What nerve causes brain freeze?
The sphenopalatine ganglion, also known as the Pterygopalatine ganglion, is a small bundle of nerve fibers that extends from the brainstem to the roof of your mouth.
This is thought to be the nerve that’s responsible for causing brain freeze.
Do all people experience brain freeze?
No, not everyone experiences brain freeze. Factors that may increase your risk include drinking cold beverages too fast, eating ice cream or popsicles quickly, and having a sensitive palate.
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Can you die from brain freeze?
No, you can’t die from brain freeze. In most cases, brain freeze is harmless. However, if you experience frequent or severe brain freeze, it may be a sign of an underlying health condition.
If you’re experiencing regular brain freeze and it’s accompanied by other symptoms, such as a headache, please see your doctor.
Can you prevent a migraine with brain freeze?
There’s no evidence that brain freeze can prevent migraines. However, some people find that ice cream headaches provide relief from migraine pain.
If you’re experiencing a migraine and brain freeze is the only thing that helps, there’s no harm in indulging.
Summary
Brain freeze is a quick-onset headache that’s associated with eating ice cream, ice pops or drinking extremely chilly beverages. The pain usually peaks within a few seconds and then subsides.
Most neuroscientists believe that brain freeze is caused by the way cold stimuli affect blood vessels in the roof of your mouth. When you eat something cold, the blood vessels constrict and then quickly expand.
This expansion causes a rapid influx of blood, which can lead to pain in the head and temples.
The best way to prevent brain freeze is to eat or drink cold items slowly. You can also try chewing gum or sucking on a candy bar to increase saliva flow and help protect your palate from the cold.
If you do experience brain freeze, taking a few deep breaths may help to ease the pain.
In most cases, brain freeze is harmless. However, if you experience frequent or severe brain freeze, it may be a sign of an underlying health condition.
If you’re experiencing regular brain freeze and it’s accompanied by other symptoms, such as a headache, please see your doctor.
