Brain freeze, also known as an ice cream headache, can be stopped quickly by acting fast and utilizing simple techniques.
Immediate Actions to Stop Brain Freeze
When brain freeze hits, your primary goal is to warm up the roof of your mouth. Here's how to do it, according to the provided reference:
- Remove the cold stimulus: Immediately stop consuming the cold food or drink.
- Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth: This helps to warm the area that triggered the brain freeze.
- Press your thumb to the roof of your mouth: If using your tongue is not convenient, apply the same principle with your thumb.
Other Helpful Remedies
In addition to the actions above, you can also try:
- Drinking warm water: This helps to quickly warm the area at the back of the throat and mouth.
Why These Methods Work
The sudden coldness on the roof of your mouth causes a rapid constriction and then dilation of the blood vessels. This triggers pain receptors and results in the sharp, temporary headache known as brain freeze. Warming the area helps to normalize the blood flow, thus relieving the pain.
| Method | Description | How it Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Remove Cold Stimulus | Stop eating/drinking the cold substance | Prevents further triggering of the reaction. |
| Tongue to Roof of Mouth | Press tongue firmly against the palate | Warms the area and normalizes blood flow in the blood vessels |
| Thumb to Roof of Mouth | Press thumb firmly against the palate | Same effect as tongue, warms the area. |
| Drink Warm Water | Take small sips of warm (not hot) water | Raises the temperature of the affected region and eases the rapid blood vessel dilation in the area. |
By acting quickly using these methods, you can alleviate brain freeze within a short time frame.
