6 Little Things You Do Every Day That Are Giving You A Headache

You studied hard and got eight hours of sleep. Now, all you have to do is ace your last final of the semester before heading out for a wild night with your friends. You can't wait.

Then you start feeling a slight pounding in your head. Before you know it, you have a full-fledged headache.

There's no doubt about it: A headache can seriously ruin a perfectly good day.

Some headaches last a few minutes, others can last for days. Some are light, others are more severe (looking at you, anyone who has ever suffered from a migraine).

The worst part of having a bad headache? It seems totally random. And sometimes, it is.

Other times, though, there are little things you don't even think about that are causing your headaches.

Here are six of them.

Chewing gum.

You may think chewing a few pieces of gum after lunch and dinner is harmless, but if you're suffering from headaches you should probably take a closer look at how much gum you're chewing.

Chewing too much gum can cause you to overwork, strain and clench your jaw, which can lead to a headache.

Did we mention gum can also make you super bloated?

It might be time to kick your habit.

Drinking coffee.

You're probably familiar with getting a headache from caffeine withdrawal, but excessive coffee consumption can also cause a headache.

Drinking five cups of coffee can feel great in the moment, but that's a lot of caffeine. When you come down from your "high," you may find yourself with an enormous headache. Yikes.

Don't get us wrong, we love coffee. It makes you happier, helps you concentrate and may help you live longer. Just don't overdo it.

Eating ice cream.

Also known as a brain freeze, scientists have dubbed that headache you get from eating cold food (usually too quickly) the "ice cream headache" or "cold-stimulus headache."

The good thing about an ice cream headache is it's usually short-lived and can be easily avoided by eating popsicles and drinking Slurpees and margaritas more slowly.

Your mom always told you to chew your food, didn't she? Apply that wisdom to your cold food consumption.

Not giving your back the love it needs.

Whether it's slouching at your desk all day or carrying a heavy bag on your shoulder, you've gotta take care of your back.

Mostly because it's your back (and you'll have it for life), you want a happy one. But also, damaging and creating tension in your back can spread to your neck (ouch), which can lead to some pretty rough headaches.

Go to a yoga class. Sit up straight. Don't carry bags that are too heavy. Love that back of yours!

Drinking red wine.

We love red wine as much as the next person, but it may not be doing your head much good (and we're not just talking about that woozy feeling you get).

Sulfites are used in red wine as preservatives, and those sulfites are linked to migraine headaches.

Not only that, but alcohol causes dehydration, which leads to headaches. And we don't have to tell you a night of heavy drinking can lead to a headache that will keep you in  bed all day long.

Letting stress get the best of you.

Stress is pretty much the devil when it comes to headaches.

It's a vicious cycle: Sometimes your stress causes a headache, other times your throbbing head causes stress.

In any case, work stress, relationship stress, family stress -- it's all contributing to your headaches.

So make sure to take deep breaths throughout the day, meditate and get enough sleep. Just keep that stress at bay and your head will thank you.

Here's to popping a lot less Advil.