What is the scientific explanation for "cold headaches"?

Question

(When you eat a popsicle too fast and your head hurts.) My son says it stops because the frozen goes down his tummy... tee hee

Answer 1

The cause is a dilation of blood vessels in the head. The dilation may be caused by a nerve center located above the roof of your mouth - when this nerve center gets cold, it seems to over-react and tries to heat your brain. Therefore, the easy way to avoid brain freeze would be to keep cold things away from the roof of your mouth!"

If you click on the link below and follow it to the Joseph Hulihan article it gives more detailed scientific information.
I also heard that if you put your tongue right up against the roof of your mouth it can help to ease the pain.

Answer 2

"Brain Freeze." Dilation (expansion) of blood vessels in the brain as a response to cold stimulating nerves in the palate. Good explanation at the sites below.

Aloha

Answer 3

I once heard a dentist say that they are due to the coldness of, let's say, ice cream, if it gets in contact with the nerves of teeth, due to cavities or perhaps if the enamel of the teeth is too thin, well, a nerve may be overstimulated, and that causes the pain.

Answer 4

when you eat the "ice" or whatever, it gets the blood in the vessels in your throat ,very cold...there are a couple major arteries right there...[cor rated] then the cold blood goes to your brain and makes the vessels in there shrink...{{{ouch!!!}}}
brain freeze; }

Answer 5

I've heard that it happens when the cold food or drink touches the back of your throat or roof of your mouth...whatever it is, ouch!

Answer 6

i heard that the cold temperature of say, ice cream, freezes your lungs quickly and then all that cold air has no where to go so it all rushes up to your brain and then you get "brain freeze"

Answer 7

This has already been addressed repeatedly on Y!A. Why is this iteration of it a feature question?

Browse thru resolved questions for your answer.

Answer 8

Brain Freeze - you would think

Answer 9

ICE headache.

Answer 10

pressure,....