Does eating ice cream make you feel dizzy? Let's talk about this Brain Freeze! (Brain Freeze)

Have you ever had this experience? After a long day in the sun, when you come home exhausted, grab a bottle of ice water from the fridge and drink it in one gulp, or when you're enjoying an ice cream cone or a faluda at a party with friends... suddenly, a severe pain starts in the middle of your forehead and goes all the way to your head. For a few seconds, you lose consciousness. It feels like something inside your head has frozen. That's what we usually call "Brain Freeze."

Simply put, what is Brain Freeze?

Brain Freeze is a very short-lived, but very severe headache. It is most often felt in the front of the head, that is, the forehead. It is called by several other names. Some people call it an "ice cream headache", others call it a "cold stimulus headache". In medicine, it has a slightly longer, more complicated name. That is `Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia`. But we don't use this long name in conversation. Everyone knows when you say Brain Freeze.

This pain occurs when we eat or drink something very cold, or breathe very cold air. For example:

• Types of ice cream
• Iced slushy-like drinks
• Ice cubes
• Ice pops
• Sudden inhalation of cold air in a country with a very cold climate

This can happen to anyone. But it is more common in young children. The reason for this is that when young children find something tasty, like an ice cream cone, they eat it very quickly. Because they try to eat it quickly rather than enjoying it, the temperature of their throat and mouth drops suddenly.

Why do we get brain freeze? What's really going on inside the body?

This is a very interesting story. Think of the roof of your mouth as a thermostat in a house. When you suddenly eat something very cold, the temperature in the back of your mouth and throat suddenly drops at an incredible rate.

Our bodies are very smart. When they sense a sudden change like this, they try to get back to normal as quickly as possible. The body fears that the cold will cut off blood flow to the brain. So they quickly try to warm up the area.

The way the body does this is by suddenly dilating the blood vessels in the head. By doing so, it pumps more blood into that area. More blood means more heat. But here's a little problem. When these blood vessels suddenly and rapidly dilate, the pain receptors in the area are stimulated. Specifically, the trigeminal nerve, a major nerve that controls sensation in our face and head, responds to this change.

This nerve is what sends a pain signal to the brain, telling it, "Something's wrong here." But the brain doesn't really understand that the pain is coming from the roof of the mouth. Instead, the brain thinks the pain is coming from the front of the head, that is, from the forehead. This is called "Referred Pain." That is, the pain originates in one place, but we feel the pain in another. This process is what gives us that severe headache that lasts for a few seconds.

Once you stop eating cold foods and the temperature in your mouth returns to normal, the suddenly dilated blood vessels will return to normal. Then the pain will gradually go away.

How is this different from a normal headache?

Brain Freeze is a very specific type of headache. It should not be confused with other types of headaches. The main difference is how quickly it comes on and how quickly it goes away. Usually, a Brain Freeze lasts for 30 seconds to 2 minutes at most. It doesn't require medication or sleep. It goes away on its own.

Other types of headaches, such as migraines, can last for hours, sometimes days. Also, other symptoms may accompany other headaches.

You can easily understand the difference from this table.

How to quickly reduce brain freeze when it happens?

Okay, so now let's say you have a brain freeze. There are some simple things you can do to quickly get rid of that terrible pain. The main goal should be to quickly bring the temperature of your mouth and throat back to normal.

• Stop eating or drinking cold things: The first thing you need to do is stop eating or drinking cold things. If you are in a cold environment, get out of there.
• Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth: Take your tongue and press it firmly against the roof of your mouth. The heat from your tongue will travel to the roof of your mouth, helping the blood vessels there to return to normal.
• Use your thumb: You can do the same thing with your thumb as you do with your tongue. Wash your hands and press your thumb against the roof of your mouth.
• Drink some water at room temperature: Drink some water at room temperature, not in the fridge. But remember, don't drink water that is too hot. Drinking something hot all of a sudden can cause other problems.

How can we prevent something like this from happening again?

"Prevention is better than cure," they say. So the best thing to do is to prevent this annoying pain from recurring. The only way to do that is to stop the sudden changes in temperature in the mouth, throat, and head.

• Eat slowly, drink slowly: Don't rush when eating or drinking something like ice cream, ice water, or falooda. Take a small amount, hold it in your mouth for a while, let it melt, and then swallow slowly.
• Be careful when using a straw: When drinking something cold through a straw, it is more likely to hit your roof of the mouth directly. So drink with the tip of the straw facing forward rather than toward your roof of the mouth.
• Avoid extreme cold: If you are going to a place with an extremely cold climate, wear a scarf or muffler to cover your mouth and nose.

Is this something to be afraid of? Should I see a doctor?

This is the most important thing. Brain Freeze is nothing to be afraid of at all. It is not a sign of a dangerous disease, nor is it something that damages the brain. It is just a normal, harmless response of our body to a sudden change in temperature. It comes and goes on its own.

Therefore, you don't need to go see a doctor because you have a brain freeze.

Brain Freeze is a slightly annoying and painful experience, but it's temporary. If you remember to savor it a little next time you eat ice cream, you'll be able to enjoy the taste of ice cream to the fullest without this pain.