A brain freeze can be painful, but it’s not serious and goes away on its own quickly. You can prevent ice cream headaches by avoiding very cold foods, drinks and freezing air. If you get a brain freeze, try pressing your thumb or tongue against the roof of your mouth.

While ice cream headaches can hit anyone who enjoys an icy-cold treat, you might be more likely to have them -- or they might be worse -- if you tend to get migraines. But brain freeze is generally thought to be harmless, so that triple-scoop cone won’t trigger a migraine or any other type of serious headache.