Definition:
Ice cream headache is a form of brief, intense cranial pain or headache commonly associated with consumption (particularly quick consumption) of cold beverages or foods such as ice cream, slurpees, or margaritas.
Treatment:
Ice cream headaches seldom need treatment. Usually, the pain quickly disappears after the cold food or drink is swallowed.
Symptoms and Signs:
Ice cream headaches lead to sharp, stabbing pain in the forehead. The pain typically peaks about 30 to 60 seconds after it begins. Ice cream headaches seldom last longer than a minute or two.
Causes:
Ice cream headaches are caused by cold material moving across the roof of the mouth and the back of the throat, as happens when ice cream is eaten quickly or a cold drink is gulped. Scientists are still not sure about the exact mechanism that causes this pain.
One theory suggests that the cold food or drink may temporarily alter blood flow in the brain, causing a brief headache. Some researchers suspect that the pain is referred from the mouth to the head via the trigeminal nerve, which delivers sensory information from the face, teeth and tongue to the brain.
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