Causes of brain freeze
The exact cause of brain freeze is still unknown and research is still being done to figure out the cause. A 2012 study attempted to figure out the cause by measuring the blood flow and activity done in the brain as the participants drank ice liquid.
The researchers came up with a theory that when the brain is cooled rapidly as a result of the ingestion of extremely cold liquids or food there’s a change in blood flow in the brain. The coldness is felt from the roof of your mouth to the nerves of the brain, leading to some sort of reaction in the brain.
To measure the blood flow, the researchers made use of a Doppler [2]. That enabled a close look at the blood vessels in the middle and front brain arteries in 13 adult participants while they drank both ice water and water at room temperature.
The participants were made to use a straw to drink the ice water. The straw was placed at the roof of their mouth until they felt their brain freeze. This made it possible to make three vital measurements for the research, such as:
- The brain resistance
- The heart rate
- The blood pressure
These measurements were taken before, during and after the brain freeze.
The researchers were able to discover that drinking ice water increased the blood flow in the front brain arteries, but not in the middle blood vessels. There was also an increased resistance in the brain after drinking ice water.
These findings brought about the conclusion that the pain felt due to brain freeze is caused by the increase in blood flow and the resistance in the brain blood vessels. So if you are experiencing a brain freeze, it may be due to your blood vessels reacting to the cold. To confirm this theory, more research needs to be done to understand the cause of brain freeze.