Just because summer is officially over, it doesn't mean you can't still enjoy your favorite frozen treat every once in a while. But, at the top of that wintry ice-cream peak is always the risk of dreaded brain freeze. Fortunately, the latest video from SciShow and Hank Green explains what those painful aches actually are and, perhaps more importantly, how to make them go away.
As told in the video, when you eat something especially cold, that delicious popsicle morsel hits the back of your throat in a way that perfectly freezes two major arteries that deliver blood to your brain. When their temperature drops, those arteries constrict. But, in an effort to warm them up, the body sends even more blood to them, causing the vessels to expand. All of this changing pressure activates pain receptors on the outer covering of the brain, which is where the two arteries meet. But, because that pain signal has to travel through the giant trigeminal nerve (which is responsible for much of the sensation in your face), you actually feel the pain in odd places such as the forehead or behind the eyes.
So, how do we get the aches to go away? Simply heat those vessels up again by either drinking something warm or pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Now, go enjoy what sunshine-friendly treats you can — even if you're enjoying them from the comfort of your warm(ish) apartment.
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