Can Brain Freeze Kill You?

Most people call it "brain freeze," but in reality, it is a shooting, brief pain felt when something cold touches the roof of the mouth or the back of the throat. Medically, it is called sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. Let’s find out more about brain freezes.

Can Brain Freeze Kill You?

No, brain freeze, or cold-stimulus headache, cannot kill you. Although the discomfort that you feel may be intense, there appears to be no instance in which a brain freeze can kill. In any case, the pain is short-lived and not harmful. A brain freeze is harmless and has no long-term effects.

How Does a Brain Freeze Occur?

Some very cold thing to the palate results in a sudden constriction of blood vessels located underneath that area. When this cold stimulus is removed, these blood vessels suddenly dilate and open the floodgates to blood. This sudden dilation may serve to stimulate the trigeminal nerve responsible for sensations in the face area. The brain assumes that this sudden falling of temperature damages it and causes headaches, usually in the forehead and temples. Neurologists agree that, though intense, the pain cannot be related to any pathology or a possible risk of death.

Expert Opinions for Brain Freeze

'It was probably a pendulum stuck in one phase of its swing because of the increased metabolic activity,' elaborates Dr Joseph Hulihan, a neurologist groomed for years in headache research. 'Brain freeze is a completely benign condition. It doesn't indicate any structural problem in the brain or head.' He agreed with most doctors, admitting that, yes, while it is uncomfortable, brain freeze actually doesn't cause any danger.

The same explanation is given by clinical neurologist Dr Stephanie Goldberg, who says that the cause of pain during brain freeze is miscommunication happening between the brain and blood vessels. She adds that it is definitely not associated with any serious health issues. The brain translates the constricted blood vessels as pain in the forehead, but actually, it is a harmless reaction, after all. Statistics and Prevalence

Brain freeze is a universal experience, particularly in people who drink and eat cold foods hare-brainedly. In an article in the journal Headache, up to 37% of the population reported having experienced a brain freeze at one time in their life. While being so prevalent, there has been no single report affecting serious health consequences, much less death.

People Also Ask

Can brain freeze harm you?

No, a brain freeze is not going to hurt you. It's just a temporary, harmless response to a cold stimulus that does not do any sort of permanent damage.

Can brain freeze cause a stroke?

No, brain freeze does not cause a stroke. Quite frankly, there is no evidence linking it to any serious health conditions such as a stroke.

Is brain freeze the worst pain?

Although a brain freeze could be very hurtful for a moment, it is quite subjective and will not be regarded as the worst pain. It lasts only for a little while and goes away on its own most of the time, leaving no long-lasting harm.

Conclusion

Brain freeze is, therefore, an unusual pain sensation, although it is not life-threatening by any means. The condition is just an example of normal physiology to cold stimuli and has no long-term health effects. Neurologists say it isn't dangerous and is merely an annoyance, easily avoided by taking cold items more slowly. There is no need to worry about the severe consequences of this common phenomenon. For more on brain facts, learn about Brain Zaps: Causes and How They Feel.