Probably anyone who has ever taken ice creams, popsicles, ice cream or any other type of food eaten frozen has already experienced the unpleasant “frozen brain” effect.
This sensation consists of a sudden pain, usually in the region of the forehead or the temple, which is clearly provoked by the cooling of the head.
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It's not uncommon to find people who go through this every time they drink something cold, which makes it seem like the problem is inevitable.
However, neuroscientist Kristofer Rau, from the Virginia Tech research center in the United States, says that yes, it is possible to prevent the brain from “freezing”.
In the next topics, some questions asked to the researcher on this subject are listed and answered. Keep reading and stay informed!
What causes “brain freeze”?
According to Kristofer Rau, this effect is the result of the sudden expansion of blood vessels in the head and the increased blood flow in the region, which in turn causes dilation that affects other structures encephalic.
The expert explains that the brain itself determines this expansion, in order to keep the temperature of the head stable and combat sudden cooling.
Why does it hurt so much?
"The sudden expansion in the blood vessels causes a burst of activity in the nerve endings in the roof of the mouth, and this intensity is interpreted by the brain as something painful," said Rau.
“In fact, most of the regular headaches we have are also caused by changes in the size of our blood vessels, which are also detected by the nerve endings”, complete.
Could this “freezing” be harmful to the brain?
According to Kristofer Rau, despite being quite painful, the frozen brain effect does not cause any damage to the main organ of the human body.
As explained earlier, this is just the brain's own way of protecting itself against sudden drops in temperature.
How to neutralize this effect?
“If you have a “brain freeze”, you should drink something at room temperature or push your tongue against the roof of your mouth to quickly warm the area back”, teaches the neuroscientist.
In addition, Kristofer explains that to reduce the chances of suffering from the effect brain frozen it is necessary to eat cold food slowly, to give the body time to assimilate the shock of temperatures.
Is it possible to avoid the brain freeze effect completely?
Still according to Kristofer Rau, the only way to completely avoid having your brain “frozen” is not to eat anything cold.
However, as this is practically impossible, the specialist recommends that the measures taught by him be followed. “They are the best way”, he concludes.
Graduated in History and Human Resources Technology. Passionate about writing, today he lives the dream of acting professionally as a Content Writer for the Web, writing articles in different niches and different formats.