Combating the Brain Freeze

You’ve just sat down to enjoy a double scoop of your favorite ice cream. The anticipation is killing you, so you quickly pop two huge spoonfuls into your mouth. The cool, creamy, whipped cream topped, hot fudged-covered ice cream begins to melt in your mouth. Nothing is better than that first bite. You’re in ice cream paradise, nothing could go wrong…until…BRAIN FREEZE!

What causes the pain – The Brain Freeze: a stabbing, headache-like pain that results suddenly from hasty consumption of frozen foods and beverages. What causes this crippling, head-throbbing torture that makes you push away that scrumptious bowl of ice cream and burrow your head in your hands? Contrary to popular belief, this painful “freeze of the brain” isn’t the result of frozen blood vessels. What happens is this: when a frozen beverage or food touches the roof of your mouth, your body thinks that you have been exposed to low, life threatening temperatures. As a result, blood vessels contract to conserve heat. Once you swallow your icy treat, blood vessels begin to relax. The pain you feel is the increased blood flow back through your blood vessels. This is why brain freezes always occur after you’ve swallowed your frozen treat.

Combating the freeze – As slowly and carefully as you may eat your ice cream, brain freezes can still occur. Fortunately, there are ways to combat the attack of dilating blood vessels to make ice cream consumption that much more enjoyable. Here is what you can do.

Prevention – Since brain freezes occur when frozen beverages or foods come in contact with the roof of your mouth, do your best to prevent a brain freeze by keeping cold foods away from this area of your mouth. Let your ice cream warm on the top of your tongue before letting it hit the roof of your mouth.

Supply Warmth – When brain freezes occur, just remember two words: supply warmth. To ease the dilation of blood vessels, deliver as much heat to the roof of your mouth as possible. You can do this by pressing the bottom of your tongue against the roof of your mouth by folding it towards the back of your throat or you can cover your face and nose with your hands and breath steadily to raise the temperature inside your mouth.

The best way to deal with brain freezes is to accept them. They’re going to happen even to the most preventative ice cream eater. Here at Praline’s, we encourage you to sit back, relax and take your time. No rushing through your double scoop of Beez Neez ice cream. Even as a house favorite, there’s plenty for everyone.