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home / 2022年世界杯名单猜测 / battling brain freeze: how to take the pain out of eating ice cream

battling brain freeze: how to take the pain out of eating ice cream

the intense head pain that can come with eating or drinking something that's very cold is simply your body protecting your brain.

by nick beare
published aug 24, 2022
read time 2 minute read
join the conversation
read time 2 minute read
join the conversation
why does my head hurt when i eat something cold?
although the pain from brain freezes can be very intense, it usually only lasts a few seconds, and is generally harmless. getty
you may know it as an ‘ice cream headache’. some people call it a ‘cold headache,’ or a ‘brain freeze.’ and if you are a doctor, you know the intense head pain that comes along with eating something very cold as cold neuralgia or sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. 

does a brain freeze mean my brain is freezing?

the good news about brain freezes is that your brain isn’t actually freezing. while scientists don’t know for sure why brain freezes occur, according to the cleveland clinic, they do know that the pain is the body’s response to extreme cold in the mouth or throat.
when you drink or eat something cold like ice cream or a frozen beverage, the temperature of the palate or roof of your mouth drops, causing the blood vessels to constrict as a survival reflex to protect the brain. some experts believe the constriction of those vessels and change in blood flow causes a reaction in the brain which results in the pain.
there are also a ton of nerves, called sphenopalatine ganglion nerves, located behind the nose that are hyper-sensitive to pain and also attached to the trigeminal nerve — the largest of the cranial nerves. some scientists believe it’s this cluster of nerves that is responsible for the pain felt during a brain freeze as the sphenopalatine ganglion nerves also cause headache pain.

related stories

'food compass' finds ice cream is healthier than a multi-grain bagel
tufts university researchers combed through the ingredients of more than 8,000 foods and ranked them by nutritional content. raspberries and vegetable curry hold the top two spots.
the cold, creamy treat falls into the dairy category, which gives you phosphorus and calcium for bones, teeth and energy for cell function, according to harvard health. getty

do i have food poisoning?
about four million canadians experience food poisoning every year, with roughly 11,500 requiring hospitalization and around 240 deaths.
symptoms of food poisoning typically include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and stomach pain or cramps. getty
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people with migraines may be more likely to get brain freezes

while anyone can get a brain freeze, there is some evidence that suggests people who get migraine headaches may be more susceptible to brain freezes.
one study done in taiwan surveyed more than 8,000 young people aged 13 to 15 and found that about 40 per cent of them had experienced an “ice-cream headache”. of that group, researchers found that participants who had suffered from migraines were having brain freezes more frequently.
another study found that people who had had a migraine in the last year were twice as likely to have “cold-induced headaches” than people with no history of migraine.

is a brain freeze dangerous?

although the pain from brain freezes can be very intense, it usually only lasts a few seconds, and is generally harmless. in fact, researchers who study headaches use brain freezes to understand head pain and treatments. of course, if the pain persists, you should seek medical attention.

how can i thaw a brain freeze?

the easiest way to avoid getting a brain freeze is not to eat or drink extremely cold or frozen foods or liquids — or eat and drink slowly. but if you do find yourself experiencing a few seconds of unpleasant pain brought on by a brain freeze, drinking or eating something warm can take the edge off. other advice includes pushing your tongue — or your thumb — against the roof of your mouth to warm it up. you can also try the “cup and blow” method: cup your hand over your mouth and nose and blow warm air.
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nick beare is a toronto-based writer.
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