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What is a Brain Freeze?
Have you ever eaten something cold, and all of the sudden a short stabbing pain in your forehead? That’s called a brain freeze - but what exactly is going on? Watch this video to find out, or read our explanation below!
Brain Freezes Are Caused by Shrinking Arteries
Scientists aren’t 100% sure what causes brain freezes, but they do have a best guess: right above the roof of your mouth, there’s a large artery heading to your brain. When you eat something cold, your arteries contract. When that happens, your brain flushes it with blood to warm it back up. The problem is, this artery is right next to a nerve called the trigeminal nerve, which senses facial pain. So when your artery is rapidly swelling and shrinking, it pushes on the trigeminal nerve, which tricks your brain into thinking you’re feeling pain in your forehead.
Not Everyone Gets Brain Freezes
Adding to the mystery is that brain freezes don’t happen to everyone - in fact, less than half the population gets them! Scientists have found that people who suffer from migraines are more likely to also experience brain freezes, suggesting a possible link between the two head pains.
Nervous System Facts for Kids
Got human body questions? We’ve got human body answers!
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Involuntary reflexes, like pulling your hand away from a hot stove, happen without your brain’s input. For these, the signal only travels as far as your spine, which instantly sends the instruction to pull back. That way, you can respond faster to the stimuli than you would if the signal had to go all the way to your brain and back. This kind of reflex is what doctors are testing when they tap your knee with a hammer.
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Nerves communicate using a chain reaction of electrically charged atoms. When doctors want to know how your heart is beating, they measure the electrical currents instructing your heart to beat using a machine called an electrocardiogram, or ECG. Some animals, like sharks, actually hunt for prey by detecting the tiny electrical current all animals use to move their muscles.
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If you were to work out only one hand, after a while your other hand would also get stronger. It’s true! Scientists have proved this result in numerous studies. How does this work? Well, even though you didn’t work out the muscles, you worked out your nervous system, and the nervous system is interconnected in ways scientists are still working to understand.
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Imagine you’re pushing on a door, but it won’t budge. So you push harder, and harder, until finally you push it open! How did your muscles and nerves help you open the door? Well, when you need to pull or push something harder, it feels like your muscles are just working more, but what’s actually happening is that more of your muscles are working. Your brain automatically activates as few of your muscular cells as it thinks are needed to accomplish a task. As you need more force, more and more nerves recruit more and more muscle cells. Your brain also starts recruiting other parts of your body - your legs, and back, and whatever else you need to get that door open!
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Your body heals by growing new cells to replace damaged ones. These cells are created by cell division - the cells you already have split into two cells. Nerves can’t replicate themselves - the ones you have are the ones you got! Because of this, nerve damage is usually permanent. That’s why your nerves are so well protected.
More Answers to Human Body Questions from Kids
What is a brain freeze? Why do we yawn? The Tappity Human Body library has interactive lessons with answers to those questions and more!
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