Sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) is a group of nerve cells connected to the trigeminal nerve, which is the center of the headache. This set of nerves is found in the back of the nose and is responsible for transmitting information about sensations such as pain.
When you eat something cold and touch the back of your throat and palate, the small blood vessels in the area suddenly narrow and then widen again quickly. That's when the discomfort will be felt by the pain receptors and cause pain signals sent through a group of nerves to the trigeminal nerve and to the brain.
By the brain, the sensation of pain due to this cold stimulus is interpreted to come from the head, and not from the mouth. That is why, the sensation causes frost in your head.
Your speed while consuming ice can also trigger the occurrence of brain freeze. If you drink ice quickly, you will be more likely to experience a brain freeze. But, there are also certain people who reported experiencing this frozen brain sensation even though he drank ice slowly.
This frozen brain sensation is usually most commonly experienced by those who are prone to migraines. So also with family history, where children who have parents with a history of brain freeze tend to experience the same thing.
Even so, brain freeze conditions will not last long. Although it is not known how to treat this type of headache, brain freeze can disappear quickly, as fast as it comes when you consume ice. At most, this sensation will fade within 10 minutes.
Then, what if the brain freeze lasts longer than 10 minutes? There are several ways you can do to ease it. First, press your tongue to the palate. This will give you 'warmth' on the part of the ceiling and back of your mouth, so hopefully it will ease the pain.
The next way, try to drink or eat something warm. This will help warm your palate and speed up the relief of pain.
Then most importantly, avoid consuming too much ice or cold drinks. Eat ice and other cold drinks slowly by giving a break between each bite or gulp.
