What exactly is a 'brain freeze'?

Question

U know when u eat ice cream too fast and it starts to hurt ur head. Everyone of course says brain freeze, but what exactly is a brain freeze?

Answer 1

It's not exactly a "brain freeze" - what it is is a nerve in the roof of your mouth reacting to the cold, and it's it's so close to your brain, you feel it there.

Answer 2

I do have self assurance this is while the nerves on the roof of your mouth, reseed by using chilly, pushing back the blood, and this is the return of the bloods is what reasons the soreness, this is in basic terms my concept I got here to with careful remark extensive testing quite some ice cream and self sacrifice bearing severe soreness for the greater constructive of guy type I ain't no observed bones, so i need to be way off

Answer 3

Brain freeze, cold headache, ice cream headache, freezie, Frozen Brain Syndrome, or its given scientific name Spheno Palatine Gangleoneuralgia are terms used to describe a form of cranial pain or headache which people are known to sometimes experience after consuming cold beverages or foods such as ice cream, slurpees, or margaritas, particularly when consumed quickly.

Mechanism and cause

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 in the body. After vasoconstriction, they 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 within 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 regions.

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 one's 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 brain freeze 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 4

I agree with Cinderella. But more simplified.... It is the nerves in the roof of your mouth, the skin is very thin, so it is sensitive to heat and especially cold. if you press your tongue really hard against the roof of your mouth, it will go away....

Answer 5

I've also heard of it as 'slang' for someone having a memory lapse....as in "My brain froze, I cannot think"!

Answer 6

hey this is chris off the yahoo question thing about the wifi hookup on the ps3 can u email me at [e-mail]

Answer 7

i heard it has something to do with your sinuses?