Ice cream is one of the most awesome food-related experiences that a person can enjoy. However, it does come with certain occupational hazards. Anyone who has ever gone through a brain freeze before is already shaking their head in agreement. This side effect is very harsh, keeping us from truly enjoying our favorite treats. Fortunately, there are great minds on the case.
The good folks at Johns Hopkins University have studied the matter. In fact, there is even a scientific name for what takes place: cold neuralgia. This issue takes place when the body is forced to keep itself warm. If freezing temperatures are detected on the roof of the person’s mouth, the body enters a survival mode of sorts. Blood vessels in the mouth start to constrict.
This is what causes the painful feeling that we call “brain freeze”. Once the blood vessels open back up, this is when the pain signals are sent. The face bears the brunt of the suffering because of the location of the nerves in question. These brain freezes don’t last too long but each moment can feel like an eternity. So what do we do when we want this pain to go away?
As it turns out, there is a relatively simple fix. As soon as your head starts to throb, your best course of action is to try and warm up the area. Press your finger or your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Or, you can consume a warmer liquid. If the brain freeze is particularly bad, there is nothing wrong with doing both. Whatever helps you!
There are also some who way benefit from covering their faces and breathing into their hands. This will warm the air inside of the mouth and help make the ice cream headache go away. If you are anything like us, you would also like to take some more preventive measures. This is understandable, right? No one wants to make the same obvious mistakes over and over again.
That’s why it behooves you to slow down and take smaller bites. There is no reason to rush through your ice cream or your cold beverage. No one is going to take it from you. This bit of advice was offered by our parents back in the day and it still holds true today. Please take the time to share these helpful tips and pointers with the ice cream lovers in your life. We are sure that they will appreciate it.