Got a pounding head again? Here are some of the surprising causes – and what you can do to help yourself

You’re not drinking enough

Even mild dehydration may lead to headaches, according to American research. Get guzzling loads of plain water to prevent them – research at the University of Maastricht, Netherlands, found that when women drank 1.5l of plain water each day, they had fewer and less severe headaches.

You’re taking too many painkillers

So-called rebound headaches are the result of your body getting used to painkillers – as the effects wear off, headaches are triggered. You should try to limit painkillers to once or twice a week at the most, and don’t take them on consecutive days. If you’re popping painkillers more regularly, speak to your GP about weaning yourself off.

You have muscle tension

Tense, tight muscles in your neck and shoulders can trigger headaches. Research shows massage targeted at these muscles can help melt away tension and reduce headache frequency.

You drink too much caffeine

Caffeine has pain-relieving qualities but if you overdo it, the result can be similar to taking too many painkillers – as the effects wear off, you’ll get a rebound headache. Try to stick to a maximum of two or three cups of tea or coffee daily – switch to herbal teas the rest of the time.

You don’t eat regularly

Low blood sugar is a common trigger for headaches, although doctors don’t know exactly why this is. Eat little and often rather than having two or three big meals, and to keep blood sugar stable, aim for combinations of protein with unrefined carbs – such as lean meat or fish with brown rice and veg, or wholemeal pitta with salad and hummus.

Your hormones are helter-skelter

Women are twice as likely as men to get migraines. The reason? Fluctuating levels of oestrogen and progesterone throughout the menstrual cycle can be triggers. Keep a headache diary to work out the time of the month you’re most likely to get headaches, and put some extra prevention steps into place at these times. For example, you could make sure you’re getting to bed early and book in a massage to melt away stress.

You’re ignoring migraines

Migraines are often misdiagnosed as tension headaches. If that applies to you, it may mean you’re not doing the right things to help yourself. You don’t need to be sick, have visual disturbances or even experience very severe headaches to be a migraine sufferer – if you regularly get headaches bad enough to interfere with daily life, this could well be a migraine, so speak to your doctor.