Brain freeze: How to prevent painful cold headaches!

Brain freeze: How to prevent painful cold headaches!

When the temperatures rise and the sun shines brightly, there's nothing more refreshing than a scoop of ice cream or an ice-cold drink. But many people have certainly experienced “brain freeze,” an unpleasant phenomenon that occurs when cold foods are consumed hastily. Prof. Dr. Thomas Duning, chief physician in the Department of Neurology at the Bremen-Ost Clinic, explains that in this cold-induced headache, the cold temperatures stimulate the palate, which causes the blood vessels to react: They first contract and then relax again, causing pressure and pain in regions of the head suspiciously close to the trigeminal nerve. But don't worry, brain freeze is completely harmless and could even be viewed as a protective mechanism of the body, according to butenunbinnen.de.

The pain often occurs in the temple or behind the forehead and affects 30 to 50 percent of the population - regardless of gender or age. A genetic predisposition could play a role here, but there is currently no clear scientific basis for this. Similar to migraines, brain freeze is mediated by the trigeminal nerve in the face, but there is no proven connection between the two types of pain sz-magazin.de.

How does brain freeze occur?

Brain freeze occurs in a short but painful process. As soon as cold food, such as ice cream or cold drinks, is consumed quickly, the low temperatures cause the blood vessels on the palate to constrict. After this brief moment of contraction, the vessels suddenly expand again, resulting in increased blood flow to the brain. This activation of pain receptors on the blood vessels then leads to the typical cold headaches. Possible measures you can take to relieve pain include drinking warm drinks or pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth to warm it up again as quickly as possible, reports medisaurier.de.

Prevention is everything

So the best way to avoid brain freeze is to slow down a bit. Here are some tips that can help:

• Iss kalte Speisen langsam in kleinen Happen.
• Lass eiskalte Sachen wie Eiswürfel nicht in deinem Mund verweilen.
• Verzichte auf Eiswürfel in Getränken.
• Vermeide den Kontakt von eiskaltem Essen mit dem Gaumen, besonders bei Eisbechern.

Although brain freeze can be painful for some, the discomfort usually lasts only a few seconds to a maximum of a few minutes and is not associated with long-term negative effects. So the next time you experience a cool treat in the heat, you should be aware of the possibility of brain freeze and take appropriate caution to avoid this unpleasant feeling. And for everyone who needs to keep a cool head quickly: If the pain ever occurs, simply drink a warm drink or warm up your palate!