Have you ever been enjoying a delicious ice cream when suddenly, ouch! You get a brain freeze? It’s that quick, sharp headache that comes out of nowhere. But don’t worry, it’s not actually your brain freezing! Let’s dive into what’s really happening.
Medically, a brain freeze is called “spheno-palatine ganglioneuralgia.” That’s a fancy way of saying it’s pain in the nerves of your face, especially around your sinuses and the roof of your mouth. When you eat something cold, like ice cream, the tiny blood vessels in your mouth, called capillaries, react to the cold. They tighten up and then relax, trying to keep the blood flow steady without getting too cold.
When this happens, pain receptors in your mouth notice the change. If the brain freeze is mild, you might feel it in your mouth or sinuses. But often, it feels like the pain is in your brain. This is called “referred pain.” It’s when pain signals get mixed up, making it seem like the pain is coming from somewhere else. It’s similar to how some people feel pain in their left arm during a heart attack. With brain freeze, the pain is referred from the roof of your mouth to your forehead and scalp.
Luckily, brain freeze usually only lasts a few seconds to a few minutes. Scientists have found that the same process might be involved in migraine headaches, which are more intense and last longer. If you get migraines, you might be more likely to experience brain freeze too.
Now that we know what causes brain freeze, we can figure out how to stop it. Next time you feel one coming on, try pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth. This can help warm the area and stop the pain faster. You could also sip something warm or breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose to warm up your palate. And maybe try eating your cold treats a bit slower!
Before you go, there’s something fun you can do! PBS Digital Studios is running a viewer survey, and they want to hear from you. If you watch BrainCraft or other shows, let them know what you enjoy. Your feedback helps them create awesome content you’ll love. The survey is quick and easy, and you can find the link in the description. Thanks for helping out!
Try eating different cold foods like ice cream, popsicles, or ice cubes. Pay attention to when and how you experience brain freeze. Note the differences in how quickly it happens and how intense it feels. This will help you understand the triggers and effects of brain freeze.
Use clay or playdough to create a model of the mouth and sinuses. Show how the cold affects the blood vessels and nerves. Present your model to the class, explaining the process of a brain freeze and how it causes referred pain.
Pair up with a classmate and take turns being a doctor and a patient. As the doctor, explain what a brain freeze is and suggest ways to alleviate it. Use the information from the article to make your explanation clear and helpful.
Conduct a survey among your classmates to find out how many have experienced brain freeze and what foods caused it. Analyze the results and present your findings in a chart or graph. Discuss any patterns or surprising results with the class.
Write a short story from the perspective of a character experiencing brain freeze for the first time. Describe their sensations and thoughts, and how they eventually find relief. Share your story with the class and discuss the creative ways your character dealt with the brain freeze.
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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If you’ve ever enjoyed a cold treat like ice cream, you’ve probably experienced a brain freeze. One moment you’re enjoying your dessert, and the next you feel a sudden headache. The good news is that’s not actually what’s happening. Medically, an ice cream headache, or brain freeze, is called spheno-palatine ganglioneuralgia. For those of us that don’t speak Latin, that means pain in the nerves in your face, around your sinuses, and the roof of your mouth.
When you eat something cold, tiny blood vessels, called capillaries, constrict and dilate, trying to ensure there’s enough blood flow to the area without exposing too much blood to the lower temperatures. When this happens in the hard palate, it’s detected by nearby pain receptors. If your brain freeze is mild enough, you might feel it in your mouth or sinuses, where the capillaries are actually being affected. More often, though, an ice cream headache feels like it’s actually in your brain. This is a phenomenon called referred pain.
When a bundle of nerves is responsible for transmitting pain messages from several parts of the body, signals can get crossed, making it feel like the pain is coming from somewhere else. This is similar to how left arm pain can occur during heart attacks. In the case of brain freeze, the pain is referred from the roof of the mouth to the forehead and scalp. While a brain freeze normally only lasts a few seconds to a few minutes, studies have shown that similar mechanisms may be responsible for certain aspects of migraine headaches, including sensory disturbances and pain. In fact, if you experience migraine headaches, you may be more susceptible to ice cream headaches as well.
Fortunately, knowing what causes brain freeze can give us some clues about how to alleviate it. The next time you get a brain freeze, try pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth. This can help increase blood flow and warm up the area, stopping the pain faster. You could also try drinking something warmer than what caused the brain freeze, or breathing in through your mouth and out through your nose to pass warm air over the hard palate. Or perhaps slow down when you’re eating cold treats?
And one more thing! I have a favor to ask you all, as we’re conducting a PBS Digital Studios viewer survey over the next week. I would love to know who you are and what you enjoy watching on YouTube. If you watch BrainCraft, please let us know in the survey! Surveys are fun and very useful, and they help us create shows that you’ll want to watch and enjoy in the future. There’s a link down in the description; it will only take a few minutes, and I would greatly appreciate it.
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This version maintains the original content while ensuring clarity and professionalism.
Brain Freeze – A sudden and intense headache caused by consuming something cold too quickly. – When I ate my ice cream too fast, I got a brain freeze that made my forehead ache for a few seconds.
Headache – A pain or discomfort in the head or face area, often caused by stress, tension, or illness. – After studying for hours without a break, I developed a headache that made it hard to concentrate.
Nerves – Bundles of fibers that transmit signals between the brain and other parts of the body. – The nerves in your hand send messages to your brain when you touch something hot, causing you to pull away quickly.
Sinuses – Air-filled spaces in the skull that help to humidify and filter the air we breathe. – When I have a cold, my sinuses get blocked, making it hard to breathe through my nose.
Capillaries – Small blood vessels where the exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste occurs between blood and tissues. – Capillaries are so tiny that red blood cells have to pass through them one at a time.
Pain – An unpleasant sensation that signals injury or illness in the body. – The pain in my ankle told me that I should stop running and rest for a while.
Receptors – Specialized cells or proteins that detect changes in the environment and send signals to the brain. – Taste receptors on our tongue help us enjoy different flavors in our food.
Migraine – A severe headache often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. – My sister had to lie down in a dark room because her migraine made it hard to tolerate any noise.
Mouth – The opening in the face used for eating, speaking, and breathing. – The mouth is the first part of the digestive system where food is chewed and mixed with saliva.
Palate – The roof of the mouth that separates the oral and nasal cavities. – The palate helps us pronounce certain sounds and also plays a role in tasting food.
