Even if nobody’s actually died from the phenomenon known as “brain freeze,” there are moments when it sure feels like you might.
When it comes to providing epic brain freezes, Vegas is the undisputed king! From margaritas to daiquiris and myriad exotic frozen concoctions served up in Sin City’s world-class bars and lounges, Las Vegas keeps the brain freezes coming fast and furious.

Daiquiris. The source of so much pleasure (and the occasional pain).
We experienced a near-death brain freeze incident just the other night at Evening Call, a new specialty drink store inside Bally’s Las Vegas. This new shop (open a mere five hours when we wandered in) serves up mouth-watering beverages with names like Wake Up Call, Vegas Crush, Jager Bomb, Call Girlz, Coco Loco and Straw Bama.

Bottoms up!
Owner Tommy and Brain Freeze Facilitation Specialist (not her real title) Sophia were on hand to comfort those suffering from brain freeze symptoms brought on by the ice-cold, flavorful refreshments at Evening Call. And to point and laugh. But mostly to comfort.

Some jobs are just more fun than others.
Once we recovered from our unprecedented level of bliss/agony, we felt compelled to explore further the whole brain freeze realm.
First, the medical name for “brain freeze” is “sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia.” Say that five times fast!
What causes brain freeze? When something cold touches the roof of the mouth (palate), a nerve response causes a sudden dilation and swelling of blood vessels, sending pain signals to the brain via the trigeminal nerve, resulting in severe pain in the forehead. And no, we did not just copy and paste that from medical textbook.
So, how does one avoid brain freeze? (Other than by not drinking cold drinks, of course. But let’s be realistic. It’s Vegas!) A common bit of advice says to drink slowly, and you may even want to pause between sips to let your mouth warm up.
Another tip: When you drink a cold drink, do it so it doesn’t touch the roof of your mouth.
Once a brain freeze starts, there are a few things you can attempt to make it subside. Here are four popular methods: 1) Touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth. 2) Drink something warm. 3) Press your thumb to the roof of your mouth. 4) Raise the temperature in your mouth by creating a mask over your mouth with your hand and breathing rapidly. Find out more.

So many ways to bring on the brain freeze, and so few ways to avoid them.
Bonus factoid: About 30% of humans suffer from brain freeze.
Extra bonus factoid: Giving yourself a brain freeze can actually help alleviate a headache.
Read about brain freeze in the British Medical Journal.
What’s your favorite spot to get a brain freeze in Las Vegas? Let us know in the Comments section!
Oh, and on a related note. Can you admit you have a little Vegas Crush? We do!

Our favorite beverage name. EVER.