Brain freeze – what causes it and what to do to prevent it?
Some call it a “brain freeze” others call it an “ice cream headache”. After eating something really cold, you suddenly feel a sharp pain in your head. Why? The professor explains that your body wants to keep things at a certain temperature including your mouth. Eating something really cold means your mouth temperature suddenly isn’t warm anymore so your body wants to warm your mouth back up. More blood is sent to the roof of your mouth to warm it up, your nerves sense this rush of blood to your mouth and your brain interprets this as “something that is painful”. Is “brain freeze harmful? It may seem painful for a bit but it is your bodies way of naturally reacting to cooling in your mouth. The professor says, “A ‘brain freeze’ is not harmful and should go away within a few seconds to a minute or so.” What can you do if you get a “brain freeze”? Professor Rau has a few simple ways to handle a ‘brain freeze’: ...