Why do people get "brain freezes" from cold drinks? What exactly causes this? Is it dangerous?

Question

Why do people get "brain freezes" from cold drinks? What exactly causes this? Is it dangerous?

Answer 1

Brain freeze is the term used to describe a brief cranial pain or headache commonly associated with consumption (particularly quick consumption) of cold beverages or foods.

It has been studied and published in the British Health Journal as an example of referred pain, an unpleasant sensation localized to an area separate from the site of the painful stimulation.

The effect occurs when something very cold, like ice cream, touches the top palate in the mouth. The blood vessels constrict due to the cold. As the palate warms, the blood vessels suddenly enlarge and the blood rushes back to the blood vessels. The nerves in this area send a signal for pain to the front of the brain, resulting in a brief headache.

From what I know, I do not think brain freeze is dangerous.

Answer 2

Brain freeze, also known as ice cream headache, is experienced by about 30 percent of the general population. What happens, for those of you who haven't suffered, is that your head starts to stab for about 20 seconds after you've wolfed down something good and cold. Ice cream is a common culprit, but Slurpees, really cold soda, and other frosty things can do it to you, too.

According to the British Medical Journal, the pain is usually in the "midfrontal" area, but it can also get you on either side or on the back of your head. In rare cases, it can smart for a whole five minutes, but it's usually over within seconds.

The author of the report is Joseph Hulihan, an assistant professor at the appropriately named Temple University. Hulihan describes an experiment in which a subject placed crushed ice on the roof of his mouth to see if he could give himself brain freeze. Hulihan reports that he did, but only during periods of warm weather. Hmm.