Overview
- The International Headache Classification designates this brief but intense pain from cold foods or drinks as a cold-stimulus headache, commonly called brain freeze
- Sudden temperature shifts on the palate cause blood vessels to constrict then dilate, activating the trigeminal nerve and producing referred pain in the forehead or temples
- Cold-stimulus headache affects 15–37% of adults, increases to 40.6–79% in children and adolescents, and occurs in 55.2–73.7% of people with migraine history
- Studies of brain freeze mechanisms are shedding light on migraine pathophysiology and inspiring therapeutic hypothermia strategies to protect the brain after cardiac arrest
- To prevent or relieve brain freeze, experts advise eating or drinking cold items slowly, avoiding direct palate contact, using a straw and pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth