The Scoop on Brain Freeze

Well, summer is definitely here. Don’t let it get to your head, though! Brain freeze is no myth. It’s a bonafide rite of summer. We understand - sometimes, even we can’t wait to get to the bottom of that cup, either!

Is there a cure for brain freeze? Aside from putting down that delicious pint of Cold Cow, you can also use your tongue to apply pressure to the roof of your mouth, or drink a warm or lukewarm beverage to offset the coldness of the ice cream.

Brain freeze is, in fact, real - and scientists are just now learning what causes our heads to ache when we eat cold foods too fast. Researchers at Wake Forest University even conducted a study, with some fascinating results:

Brain freeze, also known as an ice-cream headache, cold-stimulus headache, orsphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, is a kind of short-term headache typically linked to the rapid consumption of ice-cream, ice pops, or very cold drinks. 

Dr. [Jorge] Serrador and team recruited 13 healthy adult volunteers. They were asked to sip ice-cold water through a straw, so that the liquid would hit their upper palate. Blood flow in their brain was monitored using a transcranial Doppler test. 

They found that the sensation of brain freeze appears to be caused by a dramatic and sudden increase in blood flow through the brain's anterior cerebral artery. As soon as the artery constricted, the brain-freeze pain sensation wore off.

So with ample opportunities to visit your local Cold Cow distributor this summer, remember: Take your time! It tastes better that way.