Why and how do we get brain freeze?

Question

just curious

Answer 1

The reaction can be sometimes triggered within a few seconds after a very cold substance consumed comes into contact with the roof of the mouth. The body's response to cold environments is to vasoconstrict the peripheral vasculature (to reduce the diameter of blood vessels). This vasoconstriction is in place to reduce blood flow to the area, and thus minimize heat loss to keep warmth at the body's core. After vasoconstriction, the return to normal status and artery size results in massive dilation (vasodilation) of the arteries that supply the palate (descending palatine arteries). The nerves in the region of the palate (greater and lesser palatine nerves) sense this pain and transmit the sensation of this pain back to the trigeminal ganglia. This results in pain that is referred to the forehead and below the orbit, other regions from which the trigeminal nerve receives sensation (This phenomenon is partially similar to the referred pain that is present in the left arm when someone is having a myocardial infarction). A similar effect occurs when one takes a prescription vasodilator, such as Nitroglycerin or Viagra. It is a stabbing or aching type of pain that usually recedes after 10–20 seconds after its onset, but sometimes 30–60 seconds, and can persist for up to five minutes in rare cases. The pain is usually located in the midfrontal area, but can be unilateral in the temporal, frontal, or retro-orbital region.

It has been reported that the pain can be relieved by moving the tongue to the roof of the mouth[1], which will cause greater warmth in the region; it is also believed that the pain can be relieved by slowly sipping room temperature water. Laying the head to the side may also provide relief. Creating a mask with ones hands and placing over the mouth and nose and breathing rapidly is also said to be useful as the temperature in the mouth rises quickly. A report was submitted to the British Medical Journal on brain freeze; it focused on the effect of speed of consumption of ice cream on causing brain freeze. Commonly referred to as "ice cream headaches," it has been studied as an example of referred pain,[2] an unpleasant sensation localised to an area separate from the site of the painful stimulation.

It has been estimated that 30% of the population experiences brain freeze.[3] Some studies suggest that brainfreeze is more common in people who experience migraines. Raskin and Knittle found this to be the case, with brainfreeze occurring in 93% of migraine sufferers and in only 31% of controls. However, other studies found that it is more common in people without migraines. These inconsistencies may be due to differences in subject selection–the subjects of the first study were drawn from a hospital population, whereas the controls in the second were student volunteers, making the tests inconclusive.

Answer 2

Brain freezes are caused when the blood vessels in your head dilate.
When something cold touches the roof of your mouth on a hot day, it can trigger a nerve centre over the roof of your mouth, making it think your brain is cold. This nerve center then tries to heat up your brain by causing the blood vessels in your head to dilate, giving you a headache.

Answer 3

its a mystery. like hiccups.