What the HECK causes brain freeze?!
Question: Wifey and I hit our local 7-11 for Big Bites and Slurpees. We got the big ones, started going to town on the Slurpees... next thing you know, we're in for a world of hurt. My head's STILL bumpin'!!
What up with that?
Answers: Wifey and I hit our local 7-11 for Big Bites and Slurpees. We got the big ones, started going to town on the Slurpees... next thing you know, we're in for a world of hurt. My head's STILL bumpin'!!
What up with that?
The reaction is usually triggered within a few seconds after a very cold consumed substance comes into contact with the roof of the mouth. The pain is not caused by the cold temperature alone, but rather, quick warming of the hard palate. Letting the mouth slowly return to normal temperature can prevent this from occurring. Brain freeze is often a result of speaking or breathing out of the mouth after consuming something cold. The body's response to cold environments is to vasoconstrict the peripheral vasculature (to reduce the diameter of blood vessels). This vasoconstriction takes place to reduce blood flow to the area and thus minimize the body's heat loss. After vasoconstriction, the vessels return to their normal state, resulting in massive dilation (vasodilation) of the arteries that supply the palate (descending palatine arteries). The nerves in the region of the palate (greater and lesser palatine nerves) sense this as pain and transmit that sensation back to the trigeminal ganglia. This results in pain that is referred to the forehead and below the orbit, and other regions from which the trigeminal nerve receives sensation. (This phenomenon is similar to the pain that is present in the left arm when someone is having a myocardial infarction or heart attack). A similar effect occurs when one takes a prescription vasodilator, such as Nitroglycerin or Viagra. It is a stabbing or aching type of pain that usually recedes within 10–20 seconds after its onset, but sometimes may last 30–60 seconds; in rare cases it can persist for up to five minutes. The pain is usually located in the midfrontal area, but can be unilateral in the temporal, frontal, or retro-orbital regions.[citation needed]
idk i guess ice?
I don't know why you get it, but I do know that slurpees will definitely give it to you! Hang in there, guys. It'll be over in about an hour, then you can do it all over again! :)
The cause is a dilation of blood vessels in the head. The dilation may be caused by a nerve center located above the roof of your mouth -- when this nerve center gets cold, it seems to over-react and tries to heat your brain.