Buzz
Reader Susann inquires, "Can you explain what causes a brain freeze?"
An ice cream headache is also known by other names such as brain freeze, cold-stimulus headache, or sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia (which translates to nerve pain from the sphenopalatine ganglion). Regardless of what it's called, the pain is intense.
Brain freeze occurs when you quickly consume something cold, like ice cream or cold drinks. Dr. Joseph Hulihan, a principal at Paradigm Neuroscience and former associate professor in the Department of Neurology at the Temple University Health Sciences Center, explains that ice cream is a common culprit behind head pain, with approximately one-third of people experiencing ice cream headaches.
What Triggers the Pain?
As early as the late 1960s, scientists identified the same vascular mechanisms—rapid constriction and dilation of blood vessels—that were responsible for both the aura and pulsating pain phases of migraine headaches. When something cold, like ice cream, touches the roof of your mouth, the blood vessels there constrict quickly due to the cold. As they warm up again, they dilate, which causes pain receptors to be activated. These pain signals travel to the brain via the trigeminal nerve. This nerve (also called the fifth cranial nerve, the fifth nerve, or just V) is in charge of facial sensation. When the brain receives these signals, it often misinterprets them as coming from the forehead, which leads to the headache sensation.
With brain freeze, the pain is felt in an area far from where the stimulus actually occurs. This is known as referred pain, which also explains why people often feel pain in their neck, shoulders, or back instead of their chest during a heart attack.
To avoid brain freeze, try these strategies:
• Slow down. Eating or drinking cold foods at a slower pace helps your mouth adjust to the temperature gradually.
• Keep cold food or drinks in the front of your mouth and let them warm up before swallowing.
• Head to warmer climates. Brain freeze needs a warm environment to trigger, so it’s nearly impossible to experience it if you're already cold.
This article has been updated for 2019.
