In the hot summer, beware of "brain freeze" when eating ice cream

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Fujian's high temperature mode has been on standby for a long time

What do you most want to do?

Do you all stay in air-conditioned rooms?

Cool down with a cold drink or ice cream?

Have you discovered

Sometimes with ice cream

Take a big bite

You will feel a chill rushing to your brain

I suddenly felt a headache

Sometimes there will even be chain reactions such as nausea

This phenomenon has a name

—— “Brain Freeze”

Haven't you heard of it?

Let’s learn about it today

What is brain freeze?

01

What is brain freeze ?

"Brain freeze" is a figurative expression, which actually refers to the pain in the head nerves caused by eating a lot of cold drinks. In the 1980s, Western countries discussed similar cases and named them "ice cream headaches" , also known as "cold stimulation headaches", and their scientific name is "sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia".

When cold food suddenly enters the warm mouth, it will cause strong stimulation to the oral mucosa, causing the facial muscles and blood vessels to stimulate the contraction and spasm of the cerebral arteries and veins, which will then be transmitted to the brain. At this time, people will feel severe pain in the middle of the forehead or near the temples, and some people may even feel nauseous and vomit . This pain usually lasts for dozens of seconds or even longer. People with a history of migraine are more likely to experience this.

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02

How to prevent brain freeze?

Don't drink cold drinks right after a full meal! After a full meal, food needs to be digested and absorbed by the stomach and intestines, and broken down into small molecules under the action of gastric acid and digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes are more active at normal body temperature (36℃~37℃). When cold drinks quickly enter the human body, they will instantly lower the temperature of the gastrointestinal tract, reduce the activity of enzymes, stimulate gastrointestinal spasm and contraction, weaken the digestion and absorption capacity of the intestines, and at the same time, gastrointestinal blood vessels will rapidly contract, blood flow will decrease, and the transportation of nutrients will be affected.

People with weak stomachs and poor digestion: Eating cold food after a full meal can easily cause gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea. People with normal digestive function: If you often eat cold food after a full meal, it may also induce gastrointestinal diseases, with symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and cold sweats. In addition to eating cold drinks after a full meal, you should also be careful when eating cold drinks on an empty stomach and after strenuous exercise : When you are on an empty stomach, cold food can easily irritate the gastric mucosa; strenuous exercise raises body temperature and opens pores. At this time, eating a lot of cold drinks will strongly stimulate the digestive tract, causing violent gastrointestinal peristalsis and abdominal discomfort.

03

How to prevent a series of reactions caused by cold drinks?

Control the amount you consume each time: The best way to prevent cold stimulation headaches is to avoid known cold stimulation, such as not eating a lot of cold food or cold drinks quickly in a short period of time. Try not to eat more than two ice creams or popsicles at a time, and don't drink more than half a bottle of iced bottled drinks at a time.

Hold it in your mouth for a while before swallowing: It is best to drink liquid cold drinks in small sips and slowly. For solid cold drinks, you can hold it in the front of your mouth first, and then slowly swallow it after it approaches body temperature, so as to reduce irritation to the blood vessels in the brain, throat and respiratory tract.

Eat between meals: For most people, it is best to eat cold food between meals, and don’t eat too much; for example, eat cold drinks at least 1 hour after a meal.

Special groups should eat with caution: for example, patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, etc., have relatively poor self-regulating ability of blood vessels. "Sudden cold" can cause sudden contraction of blood vessels, which may cause discomfort.

hint

If you feel a headache or discomfort after drinking cold drinks, you can press your tongue against the roof of your mouth to help speed up the return of your palate to normal temperature.

You can also cover your mouth and nose with your hands and breathe quickly to increase the amount of hot air entering the palate and relieve headaches. However, if nausea, vomiting, and headaches persist, you should seek medical attention immediately.