Fun Fact: What is brain freeze?

We all know that awful feeling: you’ve just bitten into a gloriously cold ice cream when you experience a terrible aching pain in the forehead. The culprit? Brain Freeze.

Brain Freeze is caused by the overreaction of the highly sensitive nerves, located above the roof of the mouth that protect the brain. When these nerves feel something cold, such as ice cream, they warn the brain to warm up, in case the quick temperature shift is a sign of danger. To warm up, the blood vessels in our head widen to bring in more blood, and as a result, more heat. The rapid swelling of the blood vessels is what causes the pain associated with brain freeze.

Here’s a trick to get rid of the pain quickly: press your thumb or tongue against the roof of your mouth, behind the front teeth. The warmth should offer you some relief immediately. Don’t let brain freeze stop you from enjoying your favorite summertime snack again!

Adapted from: Why You Shouldn’t Eat Your Boogers by Francesca Gould, 137-138