What is Brain Freeze?
You’ve just bought a nice refreshing ice cream cone on a hot day. You’re sitting down on a park bench, enjoying the flavorful cold sensation in your mouth when…OUCH! That sharp pain in your head signals that you’re a victim of the dreaded “brain freeze,” also known as an ice cream headache.
What causes brain freeze? Sometimes, when you eat something very cold and it comes in contact with the center of the roof of your mouth, the cold temperature activates certain nerves. These nerves cause the blood vessels in the brain to swell in order to prevent the loss of body heat, causing the acute pain that many experience. The pain rarely lasts for more than 10-20 seconds, although often it seems much longer!
How can you avoid brain freeze? Well, for starters, you can keep the cold food away from the roof of your mouth! If you experience brain freeze – you need to warm up the roof of your mouth quickly. You can do that by touching the roof of your mouth with the underside of your tongue, which is warmer than the top of your tongue. Or, you can drink a hot or warm beverage – or even water – that is room temperature! You can also press your thumb to the roof of your mouth!
Sometimes brain freeze results from eating cold food very quickly or from taking bites that are too big! So slow down and savor that ice cream cone! Brain freeze won’t kill you, but it sure can make you uncomfortable!
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