Learn more. Wojtek Mydlarz, M. Great way to cool down, right? But then it hits you: a bolt of intense pain in the temples, forehead or behind the eyes or nose. Brain freeze, otherwise known as ice cream headache , is technically known as cold neuralgia or sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia.
Big words for a short— but-agonizing— episode. Share on Pinterest Brain freeze can occur if you eat an ice cream too fast. Vasodilation is probably part of a self-defense mechanism. Latest news Scientists identify new cause of vascular injury in type 2 diabetes.
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This can feel like a dull ache or a sharp pain. The pain can last anywhere from a few seconds to a full minute or two. One study tried to figure out the cause by measuring the blood flow and activity in the brain while participants drank ice water.
The cold is transferred from the roof of your mouth to the nerves of the brain, and this causes some kind of reaction in the brain. The researchers used a Doppler, which measures blood flow, to look at the blood vessels in the middle and front brain arteries in 13 adults while they drank both ice water and room-temperature water.
The participants drank ice water through a straw placed against the roof of their mouth until they felt a brain freeze. The researchers then measured the brain resistance, heart rate, and blood pressure of these participants before, during, and after the brain freeze.
They found that drinking the ice water increased the blood flow in the front brain arteries, but not the middle blood vessels. The ice water also caused increased resistance in the brain. With these findings, the researchers concluded that the pain of a brain freeze is actually caused by the increased blood flow and resistance in the brain blood vessels. The cause of brain freeze may be connected to the cause of migraine, which is also unknown.
Several studies have found a connection between incidences of brain freeze and a history of migraine. Students who also had a history of migraine headaches had ice cream headaches more frequently. The researchers concluded that these ice cream headaches are more common in people who experience migraine. Another study from examined cold-induced headaches in women and also found that participants with a history of migraine were more likely to experience brain freeze.
They only saw an increase in cold-induced headaches among people who had a migraine in the past year. Those people were twice as likely to experience cold-induced headaches than people with inactive or no history of migraine. Learn more about how to tell migraine and headache apart.
Now, the trigeminal nerve is a natural part of the body. So, if it's the real cause of brain freeze, then that means everyone should get it. Researchers can only speculate: Maybe the trigeminal nerve is less sensitive in certain demographics. One thing that does seem to be clear is that people who do experience brain freeze may also be more susceptible to another kind of mysterious headache: migraines.
Which has led researchers to suspect that the trigeminal nerve also plays a key role in migraines. Whatever the reason, just hang in there. Brain freeze usually only last seconds. Go ahead and take that time to remember not to slurp so quickly next time. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App.
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