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Brain Freeze
What Is Brain Freeze?
By Cari Nierenberg - Live
Science Contributor
Ice-cold substances
hitting the back of the throat can cause blood vessels to expand and contract
rapidly, resulting in a temporary but very painful headache.
You probably don't
think of ice cream as a pain-inducing substance, but enjoying those first few
spoonsful of the frozen treat too quickly might bring on a sudden, stabbing
pain in the forehead known as "brain freeze."
The pain of brain
freeze can begin within seconds of being exposed to cold temperatures, and the
intensity of the pain peaks very quickly, often within seconds, said Dr.
Stephanie Goldberg, a neurologist and headache specialist at Tufts Medical
Center in Boston.
Why do you get it?
Brain freeze, also
called an "ice-cream headache," is known in medical terms as a
"cold-stimulus headache," Goldberg said.
It's a common
phenomenon that affects people of all ages, but doctors aren't quite sure why
it happens.
For this type of
headache, the main trigger is any kind of exposure to a significantly cold
temperature, Goldberg said.
It's not only caused
by an internal trigger, like eating frozen treats too quickly; it can also be
caused by an external trigger, such as going outside without a hat on a frigid
day or diving into a very cold lake.
Brain freeze may
start when a very cold substance — food or air, for example — hits the roof of
the mouth or the back of the throat and stimulates blood vessels and nerves in
these temperature-sensitive areas.
A small study
presented in 2012 found that the sudden increase in blood flow and resulting
increase in size of the anterior cerebral artery, a blood vessel located in the
middle of the brain behind the eyes, may be responsible for brain freeze pain.
The study found that
when patients' brain freeze ended, the artery constricted and reduced blood
flow, which is likely what caused the pain to disappear.
The researchers said
they suspect that an increase in pressure within the skull, brought on by
increased blood flow to the head, is what causes the pain.
Another possible
explanation for brain freeze is that a cold sensation activates an important
nerve in the head and face, known as the trigeminal nerve.
Once the trigeminal
nerve is triggered, blood vessels inside the head momentarily tighten and
constrict and then rapidly dilate or widen, resulting in a sudden feeling of
pain, Goldberg told Live Science.
When the cold
stimulus is removed, the blood vessels go back to their normal size and the
pain tends to go away, Goldberg said.
Despite being called
"brain freeze," this brief episode of head pain doesn't cause
permanent damage and isn't life-threatening.
Symptoms
Quick onset of head
pain, peaking within 30 to 60 seconds of cold exposure, according to an article
published in The British Medical Journal.
Intense, stabbing
pain in the forehead and temples.
Pain that resolves
within a few seconds to a few minutes after it begins.
The pain of a
cold-stimulus headache tends to come on fast. It occurs within seconds of cold
temperatures striking nerves in the palate of the mouth and the back of the
throat, Goldberg said.
Cold exposure through
the mouth or nose activates the trigeminal nerve system and relays this
information to the entire head.
That's why the pain
is felt in the head and not in the mouth or nose, where the cold sensation
originated, she said.
Typically, the pain
of brain freeze is most intense in the forehead and then may spread to the
temples and the back of the head, Goldberg said.
Some people may
describe the discomfort as a stabbing or aching type of pain, while individuals
who have migraines may perceive it as a throbbing or pulsating pain.
Studies have shown
that people who have migraines might be more prone to brain freeze.
This is because the
trigeminal nerve in those who have migraines is already sensitive and a cold
stimulus can activate this nerve pathway even more, Goldberg said.
How to prevent it
The pain of brain
freeze is so fleeting that there's no need to treat it, but it can be tricky to
avoid, Goldberg said.
Of course, people
could forgo frozen treats and beverages altogether, but what fun is that?
If you're prone to
this harmless headache, the best way to prevent it is to slow down when
consuming ice-cold foods and drinks and keep the cold substances away from your
upper palate.
Some people say that
drinking warm water slowly once the pain begins may help short-circuit the symptoms
of brain freeze.
Others recommend
curling the underside of the tongue against the roof of the mouth, which can
bring warmth to this sensitive spot.
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