Brain Freeze ! The Science Behind the Pain

Brain Freeze ! The Science Behind the Pain

Ever felt a sudden sharp pain in your temples when you are eating ice cream?  Well, you are not the only one.  Brain freeze, as it is commonly known, is an actual genuine medical thing, and there is a very scientific reason behind why it happens when we eat something cold.

What Is Brain Freeze?

Brain freeze – or sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia to give it its medical name – is a rapid onset of pain in the temples, that goes away as quickly as it came.  This strange moment or two of pain is usually brought on by consuming cold food or drinks.  It is caused by having something cold touch the roof of the mouth and is believed to result from a nerve response causing rapid constriction and swelling of blood vessels in the temple area.

Whoah There!

Eating ice cream or enjoying an ice-cold popsicle on a hot day is incredibly refreshing and delightful, but eating your chilled delights too quickly is usually what causes brain freeze to happen. If you do feel a sudden shooting pain in your head, slow down, take a break and consume your ice cream a little more slowly in future.

What Causes Brain Freeze?

To be honest, it’s not just ice cream that can cause brain freeze, any cold stimulus can set it off.   The nerve pain associated with brain freeze can also be caused by:

  • A sudden cooling of the capillaries of the sinuses that you feel when you step outside into very cold and icy temperatures.
  • A rapid rewarming of the capillaries that causes a sudden widening of the blood vessels
  • A change in the temperature of the sensitive nerves of the palate (hot or cold).

Those clever scientists who research important matters like the way our bodies react to rapid changes in temperature have figured out that brain freeze is very probably a defensive reaction that happens involuntarily.  The brain is a very important organ and one that is also very sensitive to temperature.  The sudden pain that happens when you consume something cold is your body warning you to stop.

What Is the Best Way to Get Over Brain Freeze

Most times, that quick throbbing pain passes quickly enough on its own.  But, if it makes you feel really uncomfortable there are some ways to quickly regulate the effect of the cold on your blood vessels.

Try these quick fixes to get rid of brain freeze:

  • Drink a cup of warm water
  • Try pushing the tongue to the roof of your mouth, to help warm the area after consuming something cold]
  • Or try covering your mouth and nose with your hands and breathing rapidly to help increase the flow of warm air to the palate

If you find you are suffering from brain freeze on a regular basis, try eating ice cream and other frozen treats slowly, while taking deep breaths between bites to help regulate the temperature of the palette,

Frostbite Nitrogen Ice Cream for All

We can’t guarantee that you won’t suffer from the occasional bout of brain freeze if you eat a lot of ice cream, but we can guarantee that our flash frozen nitrogen flavors are the best in Boca Raton.

Why not visit us at our steampunk themed cafe, for delicious ice cream served up by our warm and welcoming staff today.

The best way to find out more about Frostbite Nitrogen Ice Cream is to experience it for yourself. Stop in with your kids, friends, Grandparents, date, or even just yourself. You won’t be disappointed!  Click our LOGO below to enter our website where you can discover more about us!

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