Ice-cream headache is an interesting term but not very common. If you experience a sudden severe headache after inhalation, eating, or drinking something which is icy cold, you should understand that it is an ice-cream headache. This headache can also occur when your uncovered head suddenly gets exposed to a very cold atmosphere. The other term used for describing such headaches is “cold stimulus headaches” which is again self-explanatory. Since these headaches are caused by a sudden experience of something cold, it quickly vanishes as well and does not persist for long.

There is hardly any need to see a doctor as it goes away within 5 mins. What triggers it is a sudden alter in the blood flow of the nervous system which quickly vanishes as the body adapts to the temperature. People who suffer from migraines, are mostly prone to experiencing ice-cream headaches.

How to get rid of it

The preventive measure is to never expose yourself to something icy-cold. For example, always keep your head covered when you are going to experience a sudden change in temperature. For example, if you are planning to have a diving experience in cold terrains, be sure to have proper cover on your head. There are some ice-museums just for recreation. Proper winter costumes are available when tourists enter such museums. Make sure to keep yourself completely covered if you visit such museums. You might experience the ice-cream headache with a sudden change in temperature as soon as you step inside.

If you are experiencing headaches due to consuming something very cold, drink a little warm water or touch the roof of your mouth through the tongue. You may also bring down the effects of the cold stimulus by some warm air inside the mouth by covering the mouth and the nose with hands and then breathing rapidly.