Introduction
We all have heard about the tongue twister “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Ice cream brings out the hidden child in every person. Ice cream is everyone's favourite, and we treat ourselves to it in summer and winter. Everyone enjoys cold food, be it ice cream, cold beverages, icy lollies, or frozen desserts during hot scorching summers and experiences a headache after consuming them.
Ice cream headache
Ice cream headache is described as strong, agonizing, excruciating, momentary, and unexpected pain after consuming cold food.
The medical name for ice cream headache is sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia.
Its common names
Ice cream headache has several names,
- Brain freeze
- Cold neuralgia
- Cold stimulus headache
- Sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia1
Sphenopalatine ganglion
It is also known as Meckel’s ganglion, nasal ganglion, or pterygopalatine ganglion( ganglion is the collection of nerve cells).
It is a parasympathetic ganglion (calming ganglion) in the pterygopalatine fossa. It has three roots; sensory root, parasympathetic root, and sympathetic root.
The role of the sphenopalatine ganglion is the pain sensation as it is predominantly connected with the trigeminal nerve.
It also has another physiological role by forming tears and nasal congestion as the sphenopalatine ganglion is positioned behind the nose.2
Causes
The main cause of ice cream headaches is frosty refreshment or frozen slush.
Our oral cavity has a high amount of blood supply, which makes it more vascularized. The moment after consuming cold food, drinks, or eatables, there is a temperature change in the oral cavity. This sudden change in temperature causes the blood vessels to compress and expand in less time. The immediate compression and expansion give rise to pain at the posterior part of the throat.3
If the cold substance is consumed in a hurry and in significant amounts then, the flow of blood is enhanced leading to pain.
The correlation with the trigeminal nerve which is the longest nerve among 12 pairs of cranial nerves. The trigeminal nerve innervates the majority of the head and neck region. Its main function is pain sensation, thereby the pain after taking cold foodstuff travels through the trigeminal nerve and makes it agonizing. It is also named as referred pain.
The trigeminal nerve also runs through the palate, making it more sensitive when cold articles are ingested.4
The two most important arteries that come into play during pain are the internal carotid artery and the anterior cerebral artery.
The internal carotid artery supplies oxygenated blood to the brain and the anterior cerebral artery is the point where brain tissue starts. These two arteries meet at the meninges, the outer covering of the brain which has receptors. These receptors sense the pain and thus the brain freezes.
Symptoms characteristics of pain
The pain is described as an unexpected, short-lived, awful, strong, and agonizing type.
The areas of the face that get affected are the temple bones, forehead, nose, eyes, and posterior part of ears.
The period of pain normally lasts for a few seconds to a few minutes.
How is ice cream headache different from other types of headache?
The pain characteristics of ice cream headaches like extreme, strong, dreadful pain after ingesting cold foodstuff.
Another reason is pain’s period. It is normally short-lived, pain persists for a few seconds to a few minutes.
Pain occurs only after consuming cold food articles.
These three reasons make ice cream headaches different from other types of headaches.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is done by clinical examination and characteristics of pain.
Clinical examination involves taking a medical history of symptoms of patients. The classic representation of pain like sudden, sharp, debilitating, short-duration of pain.
The peculiarity of symptoms after consuming cold foodstuff and its distinct pain characteristics make it unusual from other types of headaches.5
Treatment
Immediate ease can happen by swallowing warm liquid or water. One can also cover the palate by pressing a thumb finger against it.
During episodic pain, if a person is pain sensitive or intolerant then they can take analgesics for pain relief. Though the pain is short-lived, until the action of analgesics starts, the pain is deprived.
A person experiencing an ice cream headache can consume cold food little by little. One should not hurry.
One can cut off cold foodstuff if they cannot tolerate pain or they can make temperature changes in the mouth before consuming cold articles.6
Another medical method is sphenopalatine ganglion block. Local anaesthesia is delivered in the sphenopalatine ganglion to reduce the pain.7
Summary
Ice cream headache is a type of headache characterized by sharp, excruciating, immediate pain that lasts for a few seconds to a few minutes. Brain freeze is a posh term and sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia is a medical term used for it. The headache commonly occurs after consuming cold food. It is caused due to immediate compression and relaxation of blood vessels after coming in cold contact. Symptoms of headache pain last for a shorter period. Treatment includes consuming cold food at a slower pace and warming the temperature of the hard palate.
FAQ’s
What is an ice cream headache?
It is a type of headache represented by immediate, sharp, intense pain instantly after eating or drinking any cold food items.
What are the other names of ice cream headaches?
Brain freeze, sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia, cold neuralgia, and cold stimulus headache.
What causes ice cream headaches?
The cause of ice cream headaches is cold foodstuff consumption. Or any kind of cold contact like wind or splash of cold water.
What is the duration of pain?
Pain lasts for a few seconds to a few minutes.
What are the symptoms of an ice cream headache?
Symptoms include pain that is confined to the forehead, temple bones, nose, back of ear, and eyes.
What is the neuropsychology of an ice cream headache?
Neuroscience explains that instant compression and relaxation of blood vessels give rise to pain.
Which nerve is associated with pain?
The trigeminal nerve is the longest and most innervated in the head and face region. It runs along the hard palate as well.
What is the treatment for an ice cream headache?
One should consume cold food slowly, little by little, and press the thumb finger against the hard palate to keep the temperature normal. One can also drink warm water.
When to see a doctor?
When the pain lasts for more than 5 minutes, the pain becomes intolerant at that point one can consult a doctor.
Is it necessary to take pain relief medicines?
There is no need to take pain relief medicines as the pain duration is short-lived. Even if one takes medicine, before its action gets started the pain has already stopped.
References
- Ice Cream Headache [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Sep 19]. Available from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/headache/ice-cream-headache.
- Wikipedia [Internet]. 2024. Pterygopalatine ganglion [cited 2024 Sep 19]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pterygopalatine_ganglion&oldid=1211881863.
- Neuroscientists explain how the sensation of brain freeze works. ScienceDaily [Internet]. [cited 2024 Sep 19]. Available from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522095335.htm.
- What Causes Brain Freeze? [Internet]. [cited 2024 Sep 19]. Available from: https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2020/jun/what-causes-brain-freeze/.
- What Causes Brain Freeze and Is It Serious? Health [Internet]. [cited 2024 Sep 19]. Available from: https://www.health.com/condition/headaches-and-migraines/what-is-brain-freeze.
- How to Ease Brain Freeze [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2024 Sep 19]. Available from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/how-to-ease-brain-freeze.
- Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block. Barrow Neurological Institute [Internet]. [cited 2024 Sep 19]. Available from: https://www.barrowneuro.org/treatment/sphenopalatine-ganglion-block/.
