Question:
What causes brain freezes and how can they be treated?
Answer:
Brain freezes occur when something cold touches the roof of your mouth. It is known as a "referred pain" because it starts in your mouth but you feel it in your head. According to www.myslurpeecup.com, 7-Eleven coined the term "brain freeze" in 1994 to "communicate the painful joy of drinking a frozen Slurpee beverage."
Contrary to popular observation, a brain freeze can occur from ingesting things other than ice cream, such as cold water and ice, said senior instructor of food science Ruth Hollender.
The mechanism behind brain freezes is still unknown. However, many hypotheses have been made.
One theory suggests that the interaction of a cold substance and your palate results in a headache caused by vasodilation, which is a dilation of cerebral veins and arteries, said Byron Jones, professor of biobehavioral health and pharmacology.
"Some propose that there is a sensor in the roof of the mouth that responds to cold by increasing the dilation of the cerebral vessels," he said. Some researchers think that when this sensor gets cold, it overreacts and tries to counter the imbalance with increased blood flow.
Another theory devised by researchers at University of California, Davis, is that a brain freeze is a minute seizure occurring from overloaded taste, pain and hot and cold nerve receptors in the frontal lobe of the brain. However, Hollender said brain freezes are most likely not linked to senses, such as taste. Yet another theory suggests that the rapid cooling of air in the sinuses causes brain freezes.
Even though no one knows exactly where they come from, there are ways to treat brain freezes, such as simply keeping cold things away from your palate. Another method of avoiding the acute pain is to place a cold object on your inner wrist and hold it there. Also, try pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth or holding your breath during the attack.
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