Have you ever imagined that gorging on your favorite ice cream could even knock you out completely from this world, be it for say a few moments? Are you the one who have experienced such mind numbing sensation? Here in this article we will demystify this strange phenomenon.
According to most of us the best thing about summers is long balmy evenings, blue sky and freezers that are usually stocked with popsicles. On a hot summer day, things like ice-candies, ice-creams and other fruity delights tempt us a lot. It’s really hard for us to stay away from such stuffs because of the fun factor that they all provide.
But have you ever experienced “brain freeze” or more precisely “ice cream headaches” immediately after consuming those chilled fruity pops. I am sure just about everyone has experienced this weird phenomenon sometime in their lives. Before we start with the actual cause, let us first go through its scientific notification. Brain freeze is scientifically termed as sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia.
What causes Brain freeze headaches?
- Brain freeze is caused when a chilled substance comes in contact with the roof of our mouth called palate. When we swallow the portions deliberately or rapidly, touching the palate, brain freeze occurs.
- Cold substances freeze capillaries causing blood vessels in that area to contract to maintain body heat.
- As we swallow the portion, the palate begins to warm up causing blood vessels to expand.
- When such responses occur in quick succession, pain receptors gets activated releasing prostaglandins hence causing a feel of pain.
- Trigeminal nerves are responsible for carrying these pain receptors to nerve.
- This is how our brain gets tricked that the pain is coming from forehead and not from the mouth.
How we can avoid Brain freeze headaches?
- Brain freeze is mainly caused due to cold-hot variations, so avoid gulping down cold things in order to avoid these headaches.
- While drinking or eating cold things, place them first on your tongue. This will not drive shock waves through your palate.
- Do not swallow anything in haste as that will definitely trigger brain freeze.
- In case you feel that you are about to get this attack roll your tongue underside touching the roof of your mouth. Hold it for few seconds until the palate becomes warm.
Cold deserts no doubt are a complete delight for summers. Follow the above discussed tips and overcome the fear of having brain freeze headaches while having icy stuffs.
