Brain freeze – what causes it and what to do to prevent it?

Summer means ice cream, popsicles, Slurpees, slushies, and iced drinks.  Many people enjoy these until they get what most people call “brain freeze”.  A Virginia Tech assistant professor has studied the brain freeze phenomenon.  Kristofer Rau is an expert in molecular biology, electrophysiology, and behavior assessment and has used his expertise to study why one gets “quick onset headaches” after eating some cold foods or drinks.  

What causes you to have a “brain freeze”?

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’:

•           Drink something at room temperature to warm your mouth.  This will quickly change the temperature in your mouth.
• Push your tongue to the roof of your mouth to warm that area. 
• Slow down – eat or drink cold items more slowly and that will allow your body to adjust to the cold temperatures of the food or drink. 

Can you avoid getting a “brain freeze”?

Professor Rau says the only way to completely avoid a “brain freeze” is to avoid ice cream, popsicles, Slurpees, slushes, and cold drinks.  But who wants to do that on hot summer days?  He said, “Summer without ice cream and popsicles seems quite sad though, so it is probably worth the risk of the occasional ‘brain freeze’.” 

Conclusion:  I agree with Professor Rau.  No need to give up the summer pleasures of ice cream, popsicles and cold drinks.  Enjoy them more slowly and follow his tips to handle a brain freeze.  And a big thank you to Professor Rau who studied this phenomenon and for providing some simple ways to deal with a ‘brain freeze’.  If you are choosing some popsicles as a summer treat, choose some Oustshine Fruit Bars as they are made from real fruit and real juice and they taste great.  Also low in calories so anyone can enjoy them.  (See:  How to stay hydrated this summer ) 

Sources: brain freeze , Oustshine Fruit Bars , How to stay hydrated this summer       Images:  Brain freeze   , Outshine Popsicles , Beat the freeze