John Myers
Headaches caused by eating ice cream and other cold foods are actually not a myth. The stabbing cold headache occurs just a few seconds after eating ice cream and peaks after about 30 seconds. The pain subsides just as quickly.
As scientists have found, one in three people suffers from headaches after consuming ice cream or other very cold foods. The pain is particularly easily triggered when the ice touches the palate or is swallowed. The colder the food, the more severe the headache can be.
The exact cause of cold headaches has not yet been precisely identified. According to one theory, the pressure in the brain increases when excessive blood flows through the anterior cerebral artery during a headache attack. The body may try to prevent the brain from cooling down too much by supplying warm blood. The increasing pressure could trigger a headache. Others suspect that the cold irritates a specific nerve that sends pain signals to the brain. Headache attacks can be prevented by eating ice cream slowly and warming it in the mouth before swallowing it.
