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4. AIR POLLUTION Nearly 40 percent of Americans live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution, a 2024 report from the American Lung Association finds — and that’s bad news for our

blood pressure. Research reveals that exposure to both “fine particulate matter” air pollution (what you’d find from car exhaust and fuel burning, for example) and coarse particulate

matter air pollution (like dust from roads and construction sites) can boost blood pressure in adults. The link has also been established in children. One study led by researchers at the

University of Michigan found that even short-term exposure to high levels of air pollution can impact the blood pressure of healthy adults. The change was typical of what a person might see

if his weight increased by about 5 or 10 pounds, the researchers noted in a news release. Another study, also led by University of Michigan researchers, demonstrated that filtering the air 

can lower a person’s blood pressure, study coauthor and assistant professor of internal medicine J. Brian Byrd, M.D., told AARP. Exercise can also lower high blood pressure, even in places

where pollution levels are high, a 2020 study found. In addition to the pollution from cars, traffic noise has been linked to an increased risk for high blood pressure. 5. BLACK LICORICE No

trick on this treat: Black licorice — we’re talking the real deal, not licorice-flavored candy — can be a health hazard, and not just because of its sugar content. The candy contains the

compound glycyrrhizin, derived from the licorice root, which can cause the body to hold on to lots of salt and water, thereby driving blood pressure up. Consuming black licorice can also

lead to low potassium levels and abnormal heart rhythms. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cautions against eating large amounts of black licorice at one time. Eating just 2

ounces a day for at least two weeks could land adults 40 and older in the hospital, the agency says. 6. ALCOHOL Although it’s often repeated that wine is good for the heart, alcohol can send

blood pressure soaring, both in the short and long term. Lloyd-Jones explains that while alcohol initially relaxes the blood vessels, those vessels start to constrict once the liver

metabolizes it. Blood pressure can remain at higher-than-normal levels the day after imbibing. And if drinking too much becomes a pattern, so will higher blood pressure numbers. Heavy

drinkers (more than three drinks a day for women, four for men) who cut back to moderate drinking (up to one drink a day for women, two for men) can lower the top number in their blood

pressure reading by about 5.5 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury, a measurement for pressure) and their bottom number by about 4 mm Hg, according to the Mayo Clinic. 7. LACK OF FRUITS AND VEGGIES

Too much sodium is a long-established catalyst for hypertension. But a diet rich in produce can help counter these effects, thanks to the potassium found in many fruits and vegetables. Salt

increases blood pressure; potassium decreases blood pressure by causing our bodies to release sodium, says Seamus Whelton, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins

Medicine Division of Cardiology. Men should aim for 3,400 milligrams of potassium per day, and women need about 2,600.  There’s no need to take potassium supplements unless your doctor

recommends it. Foods including bananas, dried fruit, potatoes and beans will help keep your salt-to-potassium ratio in check. “About 75 percent of the sodium most people consume is already

in food when they buy it,” Whelton says. So swapping out processed foods and eating more produce is key to reducing your sodium and upping your potassium. He advocates eating the American

Heart Association’s recommended four to five servings of fruits and four to five servings of vegetables per day. 8. YOUR SOCIAL LIFE — OR LACK THEREOF “As a species, we’re not meant to be

without other people,” says Annalijn Conklin, associate professor at the University of British Columbia. “If you are socially isolated, it raises your cortisol levels to put you in a

fight-or-flight response.” A study Conklin conducted of 28,238 adults ages 45 to 85 found that for women, being single, having limited social activity or being part of a smaller social

network was linked to higher average blood pressure.  Interestingly, Conklin’s study found that men who lived alone or had small social networks were less likely to have high blood pressure

than those who lived with others or had large networks (greater than 220 people). It’s unclear whether the difference was due to biological reasons or simply because there’s less stigma

around the idea of men going it alone.  That said, feeling isolated is not good for your arteries. Another, smaller study of adults ages 50 to 68 found that those with the highest scores on

a loneliness survey had a systolic blood pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) that was 10 to 30 points higher than their less lonely counterparts. 9. COMMON MEDICATIONS

Headache? Joint pain? Be mindful of what you reach for when you head to the medicine cabinet. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve) can raise blood

pressure. And so can regular use of acetaminophen (Tylenol), according to a new study published in _Circulation_, the journal of the American Heart Association. “Any time people are using

those types of medications for pain control, if they’re using them continuously, they need to get with their doctor,” Lloyd-Jones says. Other over-the-counter products to be aware of: 

decongestants, which relieve stuffiness by narrowing blood vessels to reduce swelling in the nose. This can also raise blood pressure. “So you don’t want to use them consistently or

routinely,” Lloyd-Jones says. Even supplements like ginseng and ephedra are associated with increased blood pressure.