We get this question a lot, so we thought it would be appropriate to address it here on our blog. Believe it or not, some people are immune to ice cream headaches. We call these people lucky. The rest of us, however, know exactly what it feels like.
Ice cream headaches (also known as “brain freeze”), happen when very cold items, like ice cream or slushy drinks, are consumed quickly. The scientific name is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgis – what a mouthful. When these items contact the nerves in the roof of your mouth, the nerves overreact and tell certain blood vessels in your head to become larger causing an increase in blood pressure in the head. This expansion is what causes the headache. The best way to avoid the headache is to eat slower, which allows the nerves to warm up between bites.
But this is only the most popular theory. Others think it’s caused by the same vessels constricting and dilating like in your fingers when you come in from playing in the snow, or from irritation of the optic nerve that’s close to the roof of your mouth. Others say it from blood rushing to your stomach to warm it, decreasing the blood in your head. Kayakers and surfers report the same pain when they are hit by cold water in the face.
DID YOU KNOW? Some studies show that people who experience migraine headaches are much more likely to experience ice cream headaches.
Of course, ice cream headaches are harmless and usually go away after about 30 seconds. Can’t wait that long? Here’s a few tips we’ve heard over the years for how to get rid of them. We can’t say whether or not all of them will work, but it’s worth a shot!
- Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth
- Drink warm liquids
- Hold your breath
- Breath in through your mouth and out through your nose
- Hold whatever gave you the headache against your forehead (this one doesn’t sound effective, but it would be funny to watch)
If you’ve got any tips of your own, feel free to leave a comment. In the near future, we’ll be putting all of these remedies to the test and reporting the results in an upcoming post.
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If you’ve got a technical question about the ice cream making process or some other inquiry about the nuances of America’s favorite treat, chances are Ernie has the answer. He might not be able to answer all questions, but he’ll try his best and some may be featured on the Ice Cream Journal.
chug water….it works everytime!!!
Moo at some cows! This will help warm your ‘whole’ mouth. And, it would be fun….to watch!
a little hot fudge will warm up that ice cream….
The trick of rubbing my tongue against the roof of my mouth always works best for me!
I’ve foudn that eating it in small bites helps, plus then the ice cream lasts longer and you savor it more. Though you may have ice cream soup by the end…
We’re going to add all of these suggestions to our list of techniques to test out in our offices (including mooing at cows…there might some sort of psychological factor there).
Look for the results of our tests sometime in December. Until then, keep the suggestions coming!
Press your chin to your chest and hold for a few seconds
Punch your forehead until the only pain you feel is from when you hit your head… it really works.
I pinch my stomach as hard as I can…this takes the pain away from my head
Great remedies,but I like to eat ice cream alittle at a time to savor the flavors.
Yes you are absolutely right, Ice Cream headache is due to eating cold things, which touches the upper part of the mouth.
From:Roof