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Brain Freeze

 

Brain freeze, or more typically known as ice-cream headache, is when one experiences a freezing sensation in the roof of the mouth and at the back of the throat. Its medical term is called sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia.

A cold stimulus shocks two important blood vessels called the internal carotid artery (responsible for giving blood to the whole brain) and the anterior cerebral artery (a complex web of vessels which runs throughout the frontal and limbic lobe of the brain).


When these two vessels are exposed to cold, there is rapid contraction of the blood vessels, causing the brain to send more blood to that area for warmth. This expansion and contraction triggers pain receptors which sends impulses to the trigeminal nerve.


This is why when patients experience ‘brain freeze’, pain is experienced in vast areas of the face. Remedies for brain freeze are simple, one can simply wait for a brief moment or drink warm water to rid the pain.


Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjgCLbwAqSc

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/how-to-ease-brain-freeze

https://www.health.com/condition/headaches-and-migraines/what-is-brain-freeze

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