8 culprits behind your pounding head

If you have a headache and want relief, stay away from these irritants. These things will only make your headache worse.

Think having a cup of coffee will give your relief from your headache? ©Shutterstock

A headache refers to a nervous system disorder in which you experience pain in your head regions startingabove the eyes and ears as well as the back of your head and upper neck. While headaches are common, under no circumstance should they be taken lightly. Severe and chronic headaches warrant a visit to the doctor as they could be an indication of something serious. There are some things that can aggravate a headache. Here are things that you must absolutely stay away from if you have a headache.

Air conditioning: Love sleeping with the AC on the whole night? When the AC is on, the temperature of the room you sleep or spend time in could go below what your body is comfortable with. A very cold temperature can worsen your headache and give you other types of body ache too.

Alcohol: Alcohol makes you dehydrated. This reduces the blood flow to the brain and triggering and aggravating a headache.

Coffee: A good antidote to headache, in many cases, is sleep. Caffeine intervenes with your sleep and instead of relaxing you makes your headache worse.

Bright lights: Don't step out in bright sunlight or a room with bright lights as that is bad for your headache, according to a study published in the International Journal of Opthalmology.

Mobile phones and other screens: A study published in the journal Cephalalgia says that working on your computers or watching TV for long aggravates headaches.

Strong fragrances: Certain fragrances can make your headache worse. A study in Environmental Health Perspectives says air fresheners, scented candles, colognes, flowers, perfumes, cleaning products at home are very likely to increase the pain.

Loud noises: Loud wedding processions near you? Better pull the curtains and close the windows. Loud noises can both trigger as well as make a headache worse.

Dust and mould: A study published in the Clinical and Diagnostic Research journal says that dust and mould are the main indoor allergens that trigger and worsen a headache.