Brain Freeze

Reference
Brain Freeze
By Melissa Papke
Apr 18, 2008, 10:53

Brain Freeze - Now you know...

Ever wonder what causes an ice cream headache? You know, that painful feeling you get near your forehead when you drink something ice-cold a little too fast. An ice cream headache is triggered by a sudden change in temperature that occurs in your mouth when you eat something cold.

On a hot day when you eat a snow cone, the cold, crushed ice that touches the top of your mouth initiates a nerve reaction that swells blood vessels in your head. The nerve center on the roof of your mouth overreacts to the cold temperature of the snow cone and tries to heat your brain. This swelling of blood vessels is what causes an ice cream headache, or what is more commonly known as "brain freeze" or "frozen brain syndrome."

Luckily, the stabbing pain in your head usually only lasts for 30 to 60 seconds.

30% of the human population suffers from these excruciating headaches. The best way to avoid getting an ice cream headache is to keep the chilled foods or beverages you eat on the side of your mouth, away from the roof of your mouth.

Just some food for thought.