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,...