Why We Get Brain Freeze

Ever eat ice cream too fast and feel a sharp pain behind your forehead? That sudden ache is called "brain freeze," or sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia. It happens when something extremely cold touches the roof of your mouth.

Your mouth has many blood vessels and nerves, especially near the palate. When ice cream or cold drinks touch this area, the blood vessels quickly narrow to save body heat. This process is called vasoconstriction.

Right after narrowing, these blood vessels quickly widen, or dilate, to let warm blood flow back in. This rapid change triggers nearby nerves, specifically the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve sends face and mouth signals to your brain.

Because the trigeminal nerve also handles forehead sensations, your brain gets confused. It misinterprets the mouth signal as pain coming from your forehead. That mistake creates the sharp ache you feel.

Brain freeze is completely harmless. It usually lasts less than a minute and goes away on its own. To stop it faster, you can press your tongue against the roof of your mouth to warm the area or drink a glass of warm water.

Have you ever tried a trick to stop a brain freeze?