Brain Freeze!

[tina22]

why do you get brain freeze when you are eating ice cream, what causes it? surely you should get stomach freeze as thats where the cold stuff is going!

[crete]

the ice cream is less cold by the time it gets to the stomach.

[Champagne]

Okay, I'm afraid I don't know the scientific names/terms, you'll have to look this up on the internet. But I do know roughly what happens to cause this.

It's to do with anything cold hitting the palate of your mouth. There is a mechanism within the palate which causes your blood vessels to contract suddenly and then quickly expand again. This rapid change basically causes pain in the palate area so a signal is sent to the front part of your brain, hence the sudden 'brain freeze'.

So when you eat ice cream you should eat small amounts at a time and avoid it touching the roof of your mouth!

[MrBen5]

Hmmm, i have never had brain freeze, but my throat gets real cold when i am eating it. i know you say you should only eat little bits at a time, but its just so damn irrisistable. That cornish vanill ice cream with strawberry sauce on, then cramped together in a wafer.
Or maybe the raspberry ripple one, or maybe the toffee one. I could go on all day, but i had better not...

[RATTER15]

Its all here tina >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_freeze

[tina22]

thanks everyone, good answers! i will try and eat my ice cream/smoothies a bit more slowly, but it is hard cos they do taste soo good!! hehe! x

[crete]

also known as ,,ice cream headaches.

[Panic Button]

If my brother and I eat ice cream he ends up putting his fist to his forehead while I do the same to my chest.