It sure has happened to you sometime. You are very thirsty and they offer you a very cold soda with ice, but after the first long and anxious drink you get a sudden headache. Why is it produced?
The key is in the human physiognomy itself. The brain should not undergo large and sudden changes in temperature and the drink, when passing through the mouth, rapidly cools the brain by its own exchange of heat with the mouth. To counteract this, the anterior cerebral artery, one of the three cerebral arteries (along with the middle and posterior cerebral arteries) that supply the cerebral cortex, is dilated to attract more heat through the blood.
This rapid dilation, in addition to attracting heat to the brain, changes its pressure suddenly, which generates this intense headache. The moment the temperature stabilizes again and the arteries contract again and the pressure levels off, the headache subsides .
To prevent our head and eyes from hurting when we take cold food or drinks, it is enough to ingest them slowly , allowing the heat exchange inside the mouth to take place more slowly.
