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Ice Cream Headaches and Brain Freeze

  • Writer: FibonacciMD
    FibonacciMD
  • Jun 23
  • 3 min read

The Chilling Truth About Cold-Stimulus Headaches

Ever wonder why a scoop of ice cream can sometimes lead to a sudden, sharp pain in your head?

Learn about the common phenomenon of "brain freeze," what causes it, and simple ways to enjoy your cold treats without the headache.



brain freeze, ice cream headaches

Cold-stimulus headaches, otherwise known as ice cream headaches or brain freeze, are a common phenomenon after eating or drinking something cold, especially having the cold food or beverage come into contact with the palate (upper part of the mouth) and/or posterior pharyngeal wall (back of the throat).  It is estimated to occur in about 15-40% of people.  The pain typically peaks in about 30 to 60 seconds after ingesting a cold food or beverage.  It can be a stabbing or aching type of pain, usually in the mid-frontal forehead area, but can also be behind the eye, or the side of the head near the front (temporal region).  Occasionally the pain can be in the back of the head or like a toothache. The pain typically starts resolving within 20 seconds but can last for up to a few minutes.


One experimenter found that crushed ice applied to the palate caused pain near the eye and temporal region (side of the head near the front) within 20-30 seconds.  If the ice was placed on one side of the palate, it was felt on that side of the head.  If the ice was placed on the midline of the palate, the pain was felt on both sides.  Interestingly, the pain could only be produced in hot weather, and he was not able to induce the pain in the wintertime.  In another study, it was reported that ice water was much more likely to cause a headache than an ice cube, possibly due to the fact that the ice cube stimulates a smaller area of the mouth than iced water. 

 

It is not clear whether patients with a history of migraine headaches have an increased or decreased incidence of ice cream headaches, as there have been conflicting studies with both findings.  It is thought that cold food and beverages may stimulate branches of the trigeminal nerve (facial nerve) which can lead first to a constriction of arteries, then followed by rapid arterial dilation leading to pain. This is similar to how a migraine headache causes pain.


Ways to Decrease Ice Cream Headaches

The posterior or back part of the palate is thought to be more sensitive to cold, and it is advised that if one suffers from this condition, to try to avoid contact with this area when eating ice cream or ingesting cold liquids.  Eating ice cream slowly may also help, as one study found that very rapidly eating ice cream more than doubled the number of ice cream headaches compared to eating it more slowly.


Another cause of headaches is nitroglycerin, which is an explosive used both in dynamite and as a cardiac medication. Click here to read about The History of Nitroglycerin, an Explosive with Medical Benefits.


References

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