Everyone knows the feeling of brain freeze. Maybe you took too big of a bite of ice cream or scarfed down that smoothie in under 30 seconds. No matter the way, something always happens: you get brain freeze. Why? What is brain freeze? And how can we stop it?

First off, let’s define brain freeze. According to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, brain freeze (scientifically known as sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia) is the rapid onset of a headache that usually lasts around 15-20 seconds. It comes on after the intake of something very cold a little too quickly. Brain freeze is your brain’s way of telling you to slow down with whatever you’re eating and that bad things could happen if you keep at the pace you are at.

So why do we get brain freeze?

It turns out blood flow in the brain increases during the brain freeze. In a study done by scientist Jorge Serrador of Harvard Medical School, it was found that the anterior cerebral artery, which is a major supplier of oxygenated blood for the brain, dilates when the subjects drank ice water. This would lead to more blood flow to the brain, and consequently, pain. Serrador had 13 healthy adult’s brain arteries monitored through a transcranial doppler. Subjects had to raise their hand when they felt the pain of the brain freeze and again when it stopped, and it corresponded with the same times the anterior cerebral artery was dilated. Serrador concluded that the pressure from the increased blood flow was the cause of the brain freeze.

Now that we know the science behind a brain freeze, we can figure out how to stop brain freeze from occurring. Serrador’s team noted that warm water constricted the anterior cerebral artery back to normal size, and therefore stopped the brain freeze.  Using that information, scientists have been able to pinpoint some solid ways to get rid of brain freeze. Dr. Micheal Sinkin, particularly, came up with 7 ways to stop brain freeze effectively.

To stop a brain freeze, you should:

1. Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth to warm the area
2. Tilt your head back to help stop the flow of blood to your brain
3. Drink a warm liquid
4. Cover your mouth and nose with your hands and breath heavily
5. Hold the cold object to the roof of your mouth BEFORE you swallow it
6. Press your thumb to the roof of your mouth to warm the area (my favorite)
7. Take small bites of whatever you are eating

So now  you’ll know whats going on and how to stop it the next time you eat your ice cream just a little too quickly. Happy eating!