exacerbate

to make worse

Roots

acer / acu / acr: sharp, pointed, keen, or bitter
e- / ex-: out, out of, away, or forth

Other words with the acer / acu / acr root

acerbic: sharp or bitter in tone
acrid: sharp, bitter, or irritating
acrimony: bitterness or sharp hostility
acuity: sharpness of perception or sense
acumen: sharp practical judgment
acute: sharp, intense, or keen

Acer carries sharpness. To exacerbate is to make the wound, conflict, or problem sharper.

Skipping sleep may exacerbate the timing problem you are trying to fix.

Exacerbate is what happens when a problem is already sore and something makes it sting more. The root image is sharpness, so the word should feel like poking a bruise.

It does not mean “create the problem.” It means make the existing trouble worse, harsher, or more painful.