Experts have a solution for painful ice cream headaches. A recent study on blood flow to the brain revealed that the cause of the severe headaches that can be felt almost immediately after eating ice cream or drinking ice-filled drinks was unknown. Rapid fluctuations in blood flow may be responsible for many types of headaches, including “brain freeze”.
Did you Know?
Experts also recognize that migraine sufferers are more susceptible to the “brain freeze” type of headache. These two types of headaches may have something in common. The researchers used diagnostic imaging to track blood flow to the brain of 13 healthy volunteers who drank icewater through a straw placed against their upper palates. This was done to induce brain freeze.
Subjects raised their hands when they felt the pain intensifying and then raised their hands again after the pain subsided. Researchers discovered that drinking the water caused a sudden increase in blood flow to a key artery in the brain. Then came the piercing headache pain.
Survival Mechanism
Researchers speculate that brain freeze may be part of a long-standing survival mechanism. The brain is one of the most important organs in our bodies and may be sensitive to temperature. To keep it warm enough, blood may be moved into the tissue to respond to sudden cold. The brain is enclosed within a skull, which means that any sudden increase in blood pressure would cause pain.
Experts believe that medications that regulate blood flow to the brain could help reduce brain freeze and other long-lasting headaches if future research confirms these findings. These headaches are difficult to study as no one knows when they will occur and researchers often miss the physiological changes that take place as the headache starts. The brain freeze type headache may also be a clue to other types of headaches.
Conclusion
While you won’t have to give up your favorite ice cream, there are some things you can do to prevent brain freeze. Keep cold foods away from your mouth. Instead, warm ice cream and cold drinks on your tongue first. You can also heat the roof (or palate) of your mouth quickly by pressing your thumb or balled-up tongue against it. This will help stop your brain from freezing. Warm drinks can be helpful as well as making a mask with your hands that covers your nose and mouth. Then, you can start to warm up your mouth by inhaling quickly.
