Cold headache

The trigeminal nerve carries signals from the roof of the mouth to the brain

Ice cream headache , and Brain Freeze called (Engl. Ice cream headache (= ice cream headache), brain freeze , freezie or frozen brain syndrome ) is a triggered by cold food or drink headache . According to an editorial in the British Medical Journal , every third person is familiar with the shooting pain that occurs seconds after eating ice cream, which usually reaches its maximum after 30 seconds and then subsides just as quickly. It can also be provoked by dipping the face in very cold water.

Whether migraine sufferers feel it more often is controversial. The pain may be provoked by a sudden cold stimulus on the roof of the mouth. The cause is seen in a cold-induced narrowing of the blood vessels. Doppler sonography showed in individual cases that the blood flow to the middle cerebral artery decreased in those affected. A cooling of the inside of the skull would occur much more slowly and probably does not play a role. A study presented in 2012, on the other hand, suggests that the brain protects itself from cooling down by expanding blood vessels and that pain is caused by the resulting increase in pressure.

There are numerous home remedies for pain, but their effectiveness has not been proven. It has been reported that it can help to touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue to generate additional heat or to slowly drink lukewarm water. Tilting your head on the side can also help. The pain can be avoided by consuming cold foods more slowly, i.e. In other words, the natural rewarming of the oral cavity is always given time or simply avoids contact with the palate as much as possible.

literature

• Maya Kaczorowski & Janusz Kaczorowski: Ice cream evoked headaches (ICE-H) study: randomized trial of accelerated versus cautious ice cream eating regimen. In: British Medical Journal . Vol. 325, December 21, 2002, doi: 10.1136 / bmj.325.7378.1445 , p. 1445f. ( PDF; 220 kB )

Web links

Wiktionary: Cold headache  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Footnotes

1. ^ Changes in brain's blood flow could cause "brain freeze" . In: EurekAlert. April 22, 2012
2. ↑ Brain research: Why the head can hurt when eating ice cream . In: Spiegel Online . April 26, 2012

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !