(HealthDayNews) -- What causes that ice-cream headache, the sudden pain around your forehead that comes when you eat something cold?
It all starts with the small blood vessels just under the skin in your mouth and throat. When those blood vessels feel a sudden cold, they send a signal telling the brain to warm them up. The brain, in turn, sends a message to the two large carotid arteries (the ones that run along the sides of your neck where you can feel your pulse), telling them to bring more warm blood to the area.
To supply more warm blood fast, blood vessels all over your head have to expand, pressing against everything else in your forehead. That sudden pressure is what causes the pain.
