Cold-stimulus headache
Brain freeze, known under many names such as cold headache, ice cream headache, shakeache, frigid face, freezie, Frozen Brain Syndrome, cold-stimulus headache, or its given scientific name sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia is a form of brief, intense cranial pain or headache commonly associated with consumption (particularly quick consumption) of cold beverages or foods such as ice cream, slurpees, or margaritas.
Cause and Frequency
A report was submitted to the British Medical Journal on brain freeze; it focused on the effect of speed of consumption of ice cream on causing brain freeze. It has been studied as an example of referred pain,[1] an unpleasant sensation localized to an area separate from the site of the painful stimulation.
It has been estimated that "30% of the population" experiences brain freeze from ice cream.[2] Some studies suggest that brain freeze is more common in people who experience migraines. Raskin and Knittle found this to be the case, with brain freeze occurring in 93% of migraine sufferers and in only 31% of controls. However, other studies found that it is more common in people without migraines.[citation needed] These inconsistencies may be due to differences in subject selection: the subjects of the first study were drawn from a hospital population, whereas the controls in the second were student volunteers, making the tests inconclusive.[citation needed]
Cures
Though brain freeze normally subsists for less than a minute, the pain can be rather intense, and a number of home remedies are purported to relieve the sensation.
Most remedies involve heating the roof of the mouth. These techniques include holding or rubbing the tongue against the roof of the mouth[3], placing the thumb or fingers against the roof of the mouth, sipping warm water, and placing the hands over the mouth while rapidly inhaling and exhaling.
Other reported relief techniques are coughing and moving the head from side to side. Some report that quickly bending over with your head below your waistline, and holding that position for about three seconds, provides a remedy. Scientifically this would work because the warm blood from the rest of your body then rushes to your head and warms and expands your vessels. Another very effective treatment is simply to drink a sip of a hot water or other liquid.