What Causes Brain Freeze? How It Works and How to Stop It

Brain freeze, also called a cold-stimulus headache or ice cream headache, is a sharp pain in the forehead or temples that starts when something very cold touches the roof of the mouth or the back of the throat. The pain begins within seconds of the cold contact and usually lasts from about 30 seconds to a couple of minutes. The most widely accepted explanation is a rapid narrowing and then widening of blood vessels in the head, with the pain signal carried by a large facial nerve.

The condition is harmless in nearly every case and goes away by itself. The sections below cover what happens inside the head, how to shorten an episode and when a headache after something cold deserves medical attention.

What happens in your body during brain freeze?

Cold on the palate makes the blood vessels there tighten, and a moment later they open wide again as the area rewarms. That quick swing is thought to set off pain nerves in and around the vessels.

In small experiments with volunteers who sipped ice water, researchers measured a rise in blood flow through an artery that feeds the front of the brain at the moment the pain peaked. The pain eased as that blood flow settled. The finding fits the vessel-change explanation, though scientists still study the exact chain of events.

The brain tissue itself has no pain receptors. The pain comes from nerves and blood vessels in the lining and surface structures around it, which is why the name “brain freeze” describes the feeling better than the location.

Why does brain freeze hurt in the forehead?

The pain appears in the forehead because the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation from the mouth, face and the covering of the brain, shares pathways for all of those areas. The brain can misjudge where a signal began, so cold in the mouth is felt as pain higher up. Doctors call this referred pain.

The same effect explains why a cold-triggered headache often sits right behind the eyes or across the temples instead of at the palate where the cold actually landed.

What triggers brain freeze?

Anything cold that reaches the roof of the mouth fast can trigger it. Common triggers include:

Ice cream, frozen yogurt and shaved ice
Slushies and frozen drinks taken through a straw
Ice water gulped quickly on a hot day
Popsicles pressed against the palate

Speed and contact area matter most. A big mouthful of something very cold that spreads across the palate and throat is more likely to cause pain than a small, slow bite. In some people, a blast of cold wind on the face, such as while skiing or swimming in cold water, produces a similar short headache.

How do you stop brain freeze fast?

The fastest way to end brain freeze is to warm the roof of the mouth. Several simple steps work for most people:

Stop eating or drinking the cold item right away.
Press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, or press a clean thumb there, to transfer body heat.
Cup both hands over your mouth and nose and breathe slowly to warm the air you take in.
Sip room-temperature or lukewarm water. Hot drinks can scald a mouth that is numb from cold, so keep the temperature mild.

The pain tends to fade on its own as the area rewarms, so none of these steps needs to be repeated many times. If the pain returns, the cold item is usually the cause, and waiting a minute before the next bite helps.

How can you prevent brain freeze?

Slowing down is the most reliable way to avoid brain freeze. These habits reduce the chance of a trigger:

Take small bites and sips, and pause between them.
Let ice cream or a frozen drink warm for a moment on the tip of the tongue before swallowing.
Keep the cold food toward the front of the mouth, away from the roof and the throat.
Drink slushies without pressing the straw tip against the palate.
Cover your face with a scarf or neck gaiter in strong cold wind if that has triggered pain before.

Who gets brain freeze most often?

Brain freeze is common, and a large share of people have felt it at least once, but it does not happen to everyone. People who get migraines report cold-stimulus headaches more often than people who do not, which suggests that the nerve pathways involved may be more sensitive in those individuals.

Children and adults both get it. Because poor sleep is a common headache trigger in general, the research on what sleep does in the brain is useful background for anyone who gets frequent headaches of any kind.

When should a headache after something cold be checked by a doctor?

A headache that follows something cold and fades within a couple of minutes is typical brain freeze. A headache is worth a call to a doctor when any of the following applies:

The pain lasts much longer than a few minutes.
Similar pain happens often without a cold trigger.
The headache is new, sudden and severe, or follows a head injury.
Fever, a stiff neck, confusion, vision changes, weakness or trouble speaking come with it.

A sudden, severe headache with any of those symptoms is a reason to call emergency services (911 in the US) instead of waiting. The National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus has plain-language pages on headache types and warning signs.

Quick answers

Is brain freeze dangerous?

No. In people who are otherwise healthy, brain freeze causes no damage and ends within minutes without treatment.

Is brain freeze the same as a sinus headache?

No. Brain freeze starts within seconds of cold contact and fades quickly. A sinus headache comes with pressure in the face, congestion and often an illness, and it lasts much longer. Congestion is common during cold and flu season, as covered in why colds and flu are more common in winter.

How long does brain freeze last?

Most episodes last from about 30 seconds to a couple of minutes. Warming the palate with the tongue usually shortens it.

Why does it happen more with cold drinks through a straw?

A straw can deliver a stream of cold liquid straight to the roof of the mouth and the back of the throat, the two areas most sensitive to this trigger.