Have you ever felt a sharp pain in the frontal lobe of your brain, like a cold stabbing sensation, while enjoying delicious ice cream on a hot summer day or drinking cold water? If you’re reading this article, you probably have.
If so, don’t worry – you don’t need to see a doctor unless you experience this pain frequently or for extended periods. But don’t be concerned if you haven’t felt it either.
According to research, approximately 40% of the population experiences this pain, with it being more common among those who suffer from migraines; meaning the majority never experience this pain. Children are more prone to experiencing brain freeze as they may consume cold foods and drinks too quickly. The medical term for this sensation is Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, but as you might have noticed, “brain freeze” is a much simpler name.
The Cause of Brain Freeze
Brain freeze typically occurs when you consume things like ice cream, very cold drinks, ice cubes, or when you inhale freezing cold air. According to research conducted in 2012 on the cause of brain freeze, this phenomenon is entirely related to blood flow. When something cold is consumed rapidly, if it suddenly and continuously contacts the palate, it triggers the trigeminal nerve (which connects the brain and face) by constricting the blood vessels leading to the brain.
The brain, disturbed by the sudden temperature change, directs warm blood to these constricted vessels. The rush of blood to these cold-constricted vessels is ultimately perceived by the nerves as pain caused by cold – that is, “brain freeze.”
According to research, the width of the area touched by the cold, the number of points contacted simultaneously, and the speed of entry are more important for brain freeze than the temperature itself. This is why ice cream of the same temperature is more likely to cause brain freeze when eaten quickly or spread throughout the mouth. The same applies to iced water.
The Solution to Brain Freeze
The way to get rid of brain freeze is quite simple. All you need to do is eliminate the cause – the cold. Since brain freeze is a “referred pain,” meaning that data input at one point causes a pain signal at another point, changing the inputs directly affects the pain. Solutions for brain freeze include stopping the consumption of the cold food or drink, moving away from the cold environment, drinking warm water, or pressing your thumb against your palate for heat transfer. Taking aspirin or painkillers won’t be very effective in alleviating brain freeze because in 98% of people, this pain lasts less than 5 minutes. By the time the medication takes effect, the brain freeze will have already passed.
Brain Freeze and Other Headaches
Unlike some other headaches that cause stomach pain or sensitivity to light/noise, brain freeze has no effect other than a stabbing sensation in the brain. If you experience vision loss, dizziness, difficulty moving or speaking along with brain freeze, it is recommended to seek help immediately. Additionally, it was found that those who suffer from various headaches and/or children whose parents have experienced brain freeze are more prone to experiencing brain freeze. Other types of headaches experienced by parents were not related to the child experiencing brain freeze, but children of parents who never experience headaches were also less likely to experience brain freeze.
So, even though it might seem funny, brain freeze could help us solve the heritability and causes of other types of headaches, such as migraines.
Additionally, brain freeze may not only be related to humans. For example, the reactions of cats after being fed ice cream (although not recommended) and their neuroanatomy similar to ours may indicate that cats can also experience brain freeze.
