What Causes Brain Freeze?

You guessed it right; I'm referring to the brain freeze or an ice cream headache; a sensation that's as fresh in our mind as the taste of the fruit pop that caused it. What is this weird phenomenon that almost everyone experiences, but it doesn't stay on long enough for us to investigate its causes?

Before we get down to the actual causes, let us run through its scientific introduction. The brain freeze is termed as sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia or sphenopalatine ganglion nerve pain. Simply put, it is the headache that you sometimes get when you consume cold substances really fast.

Causes of Brain Freeze Headaches

We get a brain freeze when we gulp down chilled food or drinks, is something we already know. But what really triggers it, and why don't we get it every time we consume something cold? Here are the answers.

⇨A brain freeze happens when the chilled substance touches the roof of our mouth, also called the palate. This occurs when we swallow the portions rapidly, or deliberately hold it, touching the palate.

⇨The cold substance freezes the capillaries and causes the blood vessels in that area to suddenly constrict to maintain body heat.

⇨As the portion is swallowed, the palate begins to warm up, leading the blood vessels to dilate.

⇨When such contrasting responses occur in quick succession, they activate the pain receptors, which release prostaglandins. This causes us to feel the pain.

⇨The nerve that carries these pain receptors to the brain is the trigeminal nerve.

⇨The trigeminal nerve is the same one which detects pain in the facial region.

⇨This is how the brain gets tricked into believing that the pain is coming from the forehead instead of the mouth.

⇨So, the location of the actual pain is different from where the brain figures it's coming from, and this is termed as referred pain.

Avoiding Brain Freeze Headaches

It is necessary to learn how to stop brain freeze from occurring, as giving up on chilled foods and beverages is obviously out of question. Just read through and you'll know.

⇨It is the cold-hot variation on the palate that causes brain freeze. Just avoid gulping down cold things.

⇨While eating or drinking, place the portion on the tongue for a while, as it heats up a bit. This will not send shock waves through your palate.

⇨Let your tongue revel in the taste of your food or drink. Swallowing it in haste is no fun anyway; and it is hasty swallowing that triggers a brain freeze.

⇨Just in case you feel an attack coming on, roll your tongue, so that the underside touches the roof of your mouth. Press your tongue to the palate, and hold it for a few moments till the palate warms.