WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Get Brain Freeze?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and today's episode is another classic from

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<v Speaker 1>our archives and former host Christian Sagar. This one concerns

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<v Speaker 1>the diabolical phenomenon the results from Delicious Frozen Treats brain Freeze,

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, it's Christian Sagar. We get headaches for

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of reasons. Sometimes foods like chocolate, cheese or

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<v Speaker 1>cured meat can cause them. Other times it's stress or

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<v Speaker 1>maybe changes in our sleep habits. Headaches are also caused

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<v Speaker 1>by eye strain, sinus problems, coughing, and even sex and

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<v Speaker 1>if you're really unlucky, they're a sign of neurological problems.

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<v Speaker 1>But do you know what causes headaches and over one

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<v Speaker 1>third of the population. Ice cream? Diabolical evil ice cream

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<v Speaker 1>otherwise known as a brain freeze or a quote cold

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<v Speaker 1>stimulus headache in more lofty circles. The ice cream headache

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<v Speaker 1>only requires two things. First, something cold touching the roof

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<v Speaker 1>of your mouth, and second, a hot environment like a

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<v Speaker 1>summer day or a sauna or a yoga class full

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<v Speaker 1>of sweaty people. That's where we all usually eat ice cream. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>brain freeze is caused by both a constriction and dilation

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<v Speaker 1>of the blood vessels in your head. There's a nerve

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<v Speaker 1>center just above your mouth, and when it gets cold,

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<v Speaker 1>it signals the anterior cerebral artery to widen, trying to

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<v Speaker 1>heat your brain with warm blood. Since the skull is

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<v Speaker 1>a closed structure, the sudden rush of blood could be

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<v Speaker 1>increasing pressure, which causes the pain we feel. It's kind

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<v Speaker 1>of a horrible stabbing achy feeling, but the warm air

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<v Speaker 1>around you causes these blood vessels to restrict again, relieving

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<v Speaker 1>the pain about ten to twenty seconds after its onset.

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<v Speaker 1>This experience, it's is reportedly similar to a migrain headache,

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<v Speaker 1>albeit a very short one. It's possible the influx of

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<v Speaker 1>blood is supposed to protect your brain from extreme cold.

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<v Speaker 1>The pain is usually in the mid frontal area, but

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<v Speaker 1>it can be unilateral in other parts of the brain.

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<v Speaker 1>But don't worry. Experts say that ice cream isn't going

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<v Speaker 1>to give you brain damage or anything. In fact, when

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<v Speaker 1>they're correcting aneurysms, doctors sometimes lower your brain temperature down

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<v Speaker 1>to sixty four degrees fahrenheit or seventeen point eight degrees celsius,

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<v Speaker 1>So ice cream ain't no thing, except there's only one

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<v Speaker 1>cure for brain freeze. Never eat ice cream again. No,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm just kidding. In one article about these headaches, a

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<v Speaker 1>researcher actually said ice cream abstinence is not indicated, So

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<v Speaker 1>keep eating all the ice cream you want, but slow

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<v Speaker 1>it down a bit. There, Hoss, try to eat in

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<v Speaker 1>small bites and avoid the roof of your mouth. Also,

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<v Speaker 1>you may be more likely to get brain freeze if

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<v Speaker 1>you already get migraines. The science isn't confirmed on that,

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<v Speaker 1>but since the vascular response of ice cream headaches is

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<v Speaker 1>similar to the experience of migraine sufferers, they may be

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<v Speaker 1>more vulnerable. Researchers are investigating this connection now in hopes

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<v Speaker 1>of developing even better painkillers. Today's episode was written by

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<v Speaker 1>Christian and produced by Tyler Klang. For more on this

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<v Speaker 1>and lots of other topics, visit our home planet, how

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<v Speaker 1>Stuffworks dot com plus. For more podcasts. For my heart radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.