Talk:Brain freeze

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[edit] This can't be right

It couldn't be because of quick warming of the hard palette because I always get brainfreeze while I'm chugging a glass of cold milk and the only thing that stopped it was to stop drinking the milk.

[edit] killing me coldly

I thought this was a result of referred pain from the throat.

Someone needs to do a trial, with the following conditions:

  1. Keeping the cold icecream in the mouth until it is body temp, then swallowing, and
  2. Feeding softened icecream into the throat (bypassing the mouth).

That sould determine the location of the nerves responding.

Reply: I am sure I've read somewhere that brain freeze is caused by contact between cold substances and the throat, not the roof of the mouth. Long ago, upon reading it, I experimented by repeatedly holding an icee to the roof of my mouth for a prolonged time. I didn't get brain freeze (and I often do when eating/drinking cold stuff), so I believe it. D S 23:16, 11 June 2006 (UTC)DS
Yes, it is an example of referred pain and I added that information along with a source that says its been studied as an example of referred pain, linking to the article on the subject.Giovanni33 09:29, 9 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Journal article

Can someone supply some more information on the journal article mentioned? In particular, it would be interesting to know *when* it was published - and also, why the fact that one of the authors was a 13-year old is so noteworthy. Although curious, I don't really see how it relates to the "brain freeze" topic itself. -- Schnee (cheeks clone) 01:45, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Scientific Name

spheno palatine ganglioneuralgia

 A brain freeze can usually last just a few seconds in many people.

[edit] The

article should note that there are other forms of "brainfreeze":

experiences caused by various smells, chemicals, such as perfume;

being emotionally overwhelmed;

being cognitively overwhelmed;

other similar experiences.

Hopiakuta 20:00, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

I disagree. This article is specifically related to brain freeze caused by the introduction of cold substances to the mouth/throat are. Other conditions, such as emotionally charged conditions, are similar, but ultimately, completely different. I would suggest perhaps putting a segment in the article devoted to Emotion (effects of, something like that) instead of adding it to this particular topic. Top of the t'you and happy editing!

[edit] Thermoregulation

A mammals ability to regulate it's temperature via endothermic homeostasis is primarily an evolutionary need to keep the animals brain within a specific temperature range. When a very cold substance is introduced to the flesh surrounding the primary blood flow to the brain, a sudden drop in the brains temperature occurs. Since the brain has no means of sensing direct touch, pressure or pain, a non-localized and non-specific sensation is felt. We call this a "brain freeze" and it resembles a headache. An example of this would be a beverage of ice chips suspended in a flavored liquid, i.e., a Slurpee or an Icee, cooling the inside of the throat next to the carotid artery. Unfortunately no studies have been found on this theory.

Reply: You are probably right about this. This is exactly what I was thinking.

[edit] Prevalence?

So... if I understand it right, not everyone experiences brain freeze when consuming large amounts of cold foods or beverages?

This would make sense as I personally never experienced it and always wondered as a child why that was when the other kids were visibly in pain (the explanation they would usually give me seems to be wrong -- according to medical examinations I do in fact possess a brain).

Shouldn't the initial paragraph read "a form of cranial pain or headache which some people are known to experience"? Or even "a form of cranial pain or headache which some people are known to sometimes experience" if you want to keep the "sometimes" in there.

Right now up to the bit about the test results it seems to imply everybody experiences it, just not as frequently. — Ashmodai (talk · contribs) 14:42, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Ha! Finally, someone else who doesn't get brain freeze! I eat ice cream wicked fast (and gulp down cold/frozen drinks at lightning speed) and the worst I get is my low-enamel front teeth hurting, but usually a severely numb mouth. Maybe it has something to do with how I am always feeling so ridiculously hot, but my body temp is usually at or a little below 98.6. --Deb

I have recurring nasal polyps that I periodically have to have removed. I have for many years been able to eat ice cream as fast as possible without any problem. Once after having the nasal polyps removed (I believe it was from my sphenoid and ethmoid sinuses that time) I started eating ice cream at my normal rate and got a wicked Brain Freeze. I tend to believe the polyps normally insulate the nerves in those sinuses and therefore discount the referred pain theory, at least in my case. 75.68.214.208 22:09, 4 July 2007 (UTC)Mike

This vasoconstriction is in place to reduce blood flow to the area, and thus minimize heat loss to keep warmth at the body's penis

Is the 'Penis' thing right or is it a typo?

Sounds like vandalism, but I could be wrong. 207.12.38.25 02:15, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
I would tend to agree with the vandalism bit. Remember though, this isn't a chat page; unless something is relevant to the article, try not to post it. As for including a bit about the exclusivity of brain freeze, I completely agree. It is important to note that not everyone experiences it. If you could find a reason as to why, that, of course, would be a much-loved bonus! Top of the t'you all.
It's not vandalism of any sort. He was referring to 'shrinkage' of the penis in cold environments.

[edit] So are nerves near roof of mouth, or in throat?

Which is true? The article indicates the roof of the mouth; but some people say it's actually reffered pain -- and the nerves are located in the throat (check the discussion above). Is the article wrong? 207.12.38.25 02:24, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

They are both true. The article outlines both of them to point out that some studies have shown that the aforementioned "brain-freeze" can be caused by either introducing cold objects to the roof of the mouth or to the throat. Top of the t'you, good comment.

[edit] So, does vasoconstriction cause pain?

The article jumps from vasoconstriction to pain, actually digressing to discuss rebound vasodilation, without making a clear causal connection between vasoconstriction and pain. This could be reworded to make this clearer. Steve carlson 01:08, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Breathe fast or slow?

"Creating a mask with one's hands placed over the mouth and nose while breathing rapidly is also said to be useful since the temperature in the mouth rises quickly"

versus the earlier statement:

"The pain is not caused by the cold temperature alone, rather quick warming of the hard palate. Letting the mouth slowly adjust back to normal temperatures can prevent this from occurring"

These two statements seem to contradict one another... one says that the effect is caused by rapid warming of the palate after being cold, while the other says it can be relieved by rapid warming of the palate... huh??75.28.41.156 13:57, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Why do some people not get brain freezes?

I do not get brain freezes. My friends and I recently conducted an experiment where I drank a slurpee as fast as I could to see if I could get a brain freeze or not. The only thing I succeeded in doing was finishing a perfectly good slurpee without enjoying it and receiving very cold pains in my chest and upper spinal area.

I was told that this only happens when one gets an extremely bad brain freeze, but I, however, never felt any "headache" or pain in my brain area.

Can anyone tell me why?

198.213.171.98 (talk) 01:19, 27 February 2008 (UTC)


[edit] Can a brain freeze kill you?

I had a brain freeze one time that almost killed my friend and me. I was driving and I drank a slurpee too fast and ended up passing out for about 2 minutes. My friend said my eyes rolled into the back of my head. If I have another massive brain freeze again, could it possibly cause damage to the brain or even death?

Can anyone tell me? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.86.224.66 (talk) 20:45, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


[edit] Just an observation from personal experience

It seems to be more prevalent if the temperature of the thing being consumed is lower relative to the body temperature. After just coming back from running, drinking a cold drink gave me a slight brain freeze, but 10 minutes later, after I had cooled down a bit, I didn't get a brain freeze despite drinking the same drink with the same temperature. --216.165.62.50 (talk) 03:11, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Cause

This article has previously claimed vasodilation as a cause and now says that it is just the brain's perception of contact with cold food...neither of these were cited nor reason given for the replacement of the old claim with the new one...24.164.75.68 (talk) 01:55, 10 June 2008 (UTC)