Does Ice Cream Really Make My Brain Freeze? Science Fiction

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Welcome to Science Fiction -

the show which takes your most pressing scientific queries...

..and brings everything into sharp focus.

Well, Bud-E, what's in the pipeline today?

Today's question comes from Pinnochio in Tokyo.

He asks, "Does ice cream really make my brain freeze?"

I love ice cream, I do. It always reminds me of going on my holidays.

Sometimes when we eat or drink something cold too fast,

we get an intense headache that we call brain freeze.

But, like, what happens, Dr Knowles?

Does the ice cream go up the wrong tube or what?

The brain is extremely sensitive to changes in temperature

and when we bombard our system with really cold ice cream,

our brain's self defence mechanism kicks in.

Self defence? Against an ice cream?

What's it going to do, chop its flake off?

When the ice cream hits our palate, nerves in the roof of our mouth

detect a drop in temperature and to protect the brain from cooling down

the body reacts by pumping extra blood to the brain to keep it warm.

I get it. A bit like hitting boost on the central heating. Brrrilliant.

A side-effect, however, is that this increases pressure

inside the skull which, in turn, causes the headache.

So, to avoid shocking your body too much

you just need to slow down when you're eating.

Fair enough, Dr Knowles, but if it's all the same with you

I think I'll take a few extra precautions, OK?

So, now you know, Pinnochio,

ice cream headaches have nothing to do with your brain freezing.

Sure, that's just a load of old science fiction.

# Science Fiction. #

Did you know, Dr, Knowles,

that my brain completely froze for a week in the bad winter of 1982?