This article idea actually came during the Paris trip while eating savoury crepes for lunch before our concert. I cannot quite remember what the cold stimulus was, but one of us experienced an excruciating pain in our head, immediately pushing us all to think about how brain freezes work when the brain cannot experience pain. Shortly afterwards, Kenzie, Siobhan and Alice immediately exclaimed for the 6th time during the trip (this was a regular occurrence), “This would make a great Unconquered Peaks article title!” So, thank you guys, all credit goes to you on this one.
I mean, we’ve all done it. It’s summer (I wish), you’re enjoying an ice cream, you take one bite too fast (if you’re that brave to bite it and don’t have sensitive teeth like me), and suddenly a sharp pain explodes across your forehead. You get an instant brain freeze, feeling instant regret.
The scientific term for a brain freeze is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, and it’s a type of cold-stimulus headache triggered when something very cold touches the roof of your mouth.
When the soft palate is exposed to an extremely cold stimulus, the small blood vessels in that area rapidly constrict (vasoconstriction) as a protective response to the temperature change. Almost immediately afterwards, they dilate (vasodilation) to restore normal blood flow. This rapid constriction and expansion stimulate pain receptors connected to the Trigeminal nerve (the main sensory nerve of the face).
The trigeminal nerve carries signals to the brainstem and then to higher pain-processing centres in the brain. Because this nerve also supplies the forehead and eye region, the brain misinterprets the origin of the pain. This phenomenon, known as referred pain, explains why the ache feels as though it’s in your head rather than your mouth.
Research suggests that the sudden dilation of blood vessels increases blood flow in the anterior cerebral artery, which may contribute to the intensity of the pain. The process happens extremely quickly, within seconds of cold exposure, and usually resolves just as fast once the temperature in the palate returns to normal.
Interestingly, brain freeze occurs more frequently in people who experience migraines. Both conditions involve changes in blood vessel diameter and heightened sensitivity of the trigeminal nerve pathway, suggesting overlapping neurological mechanisms.
What about the good news? (there is!). Brain freezes are harmless and short-lived. Slowing down when eating cold food reduces the rapid temperature shift that triggers the nerve response. Pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth can also help warm the area and restore normal blood flow more quickly.
So next time ice cream strikes back, remember it’s not your brain freezing, it’s a rapid vascular and neural reflex designed to protect one of the most sensitive organs in your body.
I look forward to seeing you next week for a new question and a new answer in my series ‘questions that need answers’.
