What helps cool your mouth from spicy food? This is why people who eat spicy food frequently are able to handle it better than those who don't - the "burning pain" is dulled for them.įor those who don't eat spicy food often, the burning sensation is either too much, and you stop eating it altogether, or you try to dull the burn by reaching for something you think might help cool your mouth down. If you overstimulate these temperature-sensitive receptors by eating spicy food often enough, they're more likely to become desensitized to capsaicin. These pain receptors in your mouth can adjust to the capsaicin's trickery, though. Once capsaicin triggers these pain receptors, your brain is tricked into thinking your mouth is in danger - cue the burning pain meant to encourage you to stop eating whatever spicy thing you're eating. Hot peppers contain an alkaline, oil-based molecule called capsaicin, which sneakily triggers the temperature-sensitive pain receptors in your mouth even though the molecule itself doesn't produce heat or cause any real damage (unless you really overdo it). In the case of a hot pepper that's not even actually hot, so to speak, the reason is less obvious. In the case of the hot pan, this pain serves an important purpose - it triggers an immediate reflex to remove your hand before it burns. Sensing your skin or mouth is in danger, your brain sends back sensations of pain, hoping to encourage you to stop doing whatever it is you're doing. In response to each, temperature-sensitive pain receptors are triggered - immediately screaming, "This is HOT!" to your brain. While the two may seem unrelated, the burning sensation you feel when eating something spicy is similar to the burning pain you experience when you accidentally touch a hot pan. You already know that when your mouth is on fire, it's not really on fire. So is there anything you can do to help cool down your mouth after eating spicy food? Or was your fate sealed with that first bite?Īs it turns out, soothing that fire in your mouth starts with understanding the science behind the burn - since it can help you understand what to reach for (and what to avoid) as soon as that burn hits. Whether on purpose or not, we've probably all bit off more than we could chew, at least a time or two, when it comes to spicy foods. Or maybe you just had no idea those peanuts were even going to be spicy. So, you got a little overconfident and went with extra-hot buffalo sauce for your wings, added too many jalapenos to your nachos or were way too generous with the cayenne pepper while cooking dinner.
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