Brain freeze happens while eating an ice-cream or anything cold. The reason is the cold stimulus touching the roof of the mouth or the palate. The cold temperatures cause ‘vasoconstriction’. The blood vessels constrict too quickly due to the extremely cold stimulus. It is when the vessels rebound back to their original size (vasodilation) as a counteractive measure against the rapid cooling, with a quick warming process; that is when we feel the pain. The trigeminal nerve sends a pain message to the brain; it is perceived as discomfort in the forehead or face (brain freeze).
Why does ice-cream cause brain freeze?
