Summer is the season of ice cream treats and ice-cold drinks, and that means one thing: Brain freezes. Technically called “sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia” (say that 10 times fast!), brain freezes are a common experience when ingesting frigid foods. But why do they happen, and how can you make them stop?
The Science Behind the Phenomenon
Brain freezes start in the roof of your mouth, where there are plenty of blood vessels and nerve endings prone to drama. When cold hits this area, these blood vessels quickly constrict, causing them to shrink.
The body reacts to this, overreacting really, and forces the blood vessels to re-widen in an attempt to restore warmth. This causes felt pressure and a rebound effect.
Next, enter the trigeminal nerve, the largest cranial nerve! This nerve is responsible for facial sensations and facial pain. When a brain freeze occurs, the trigeminal nerve gets confused and assumes the pain is coming from your forehead rather than the roof of your mouth. This refers the pain to your temples and causes the sharp, stabbing headache brain freezes are infamous for.
How to Freeze a Brain Freeze
Brain freezes only last about 20-30 seconds, so knowing how to stop them isn’t exactly imperative to going on with your day. But even 20 seconds can feel like a long time when the pain is extreme. So, if you’re looking to freeze the freeze immediately, the following tips might help:
- Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth
- Sip warm water
- Cover your mouth and breathe through your nose
Of course, you might avoid brain freezes altogether by eating cold foods and drinking cold drinks slowly.
Interesting tidbit: Brain freezes are common in humans, but it’s hypothesized that they don’t happen in animals, at least not in the same way. This might be due to different pain expressions among species or simply because animals don’t press food against the roofs of their mouths; as pet owners know, they gulp their food quickly, as if it will magically disappear into thin air at any moment.
I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream….and now you know why!