12 Surprising Things That Can Raise Your Blood Pressure

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 2019, 99 percent of the global population lived in places where air quality did not meet World Health Organization guidelines.

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 just 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, an assistant 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 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.

10. Added sugar

When we eat sugar, our bodies release insulin to help clear the sugar from the blood and get it into the cells where it can be used for energy.

“But insulin, itself, tends to drive up blood pressure in many people,” Lloyd-Jones says. “So if you’re eating a lot of added sugar or simple starches, you’re having these more intense and longer bursts of insulin, which will raise blood pressure.”

Added sugar is common in soft drinks, cakes and cookies. Some yogurts and breakfast cereals can also be high in added sugar.

11. Smoking

Yet another reason to kick the habit: Smoking, a proven risk factor for heart attack and stroke, can also mess with your blood pressure. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, nicotine is to blame. It causes the blood vessels to narrow and the heart to beat faster, which makes your blood pressure get higher.

“If you look at the monitoring, it’s clear that the blood pressure [of smokers] over a 24-hour period is higher than [of] nonsmokers,” Byrd says.

12. Another health condition

The overproduction of a hormone called aldosterone can cause high blood pressure and even make it difficult to control with medication. Byrd says people who haven’t had any luck lowering their high blood pressure with multiple medications should talk to their doctor because “there’s a reasonably good chance that they have a condition called primary aldosteronism.” The condition often is missed, Byrd says, but medications can treat it.

High blood pressure could also point to an issue with the kidneys or the thyroid gland.

As your age increases, so does your risk of a thyroid disorder. Both overactive and underactive thyroids can raise blood pressure; a severely overactive thyroid can boost your risk of cardiovascular issues, says Nicole Ronda Bloom, M.D., an accredited endocrinologist based in New Hyde Park, New York. 

Bloom encourages patients to get their levels checked annually during physicals, or every six months if they have a strong family history of thyroid disease or symptoms. And if you are on thyroid medication, make sure you’re taking it as prescribed. “Skipping medicine for low thyroid doesn’t often cause high blood pressure, but missing medicine for high thyroid can be problematic,” Bloom adds.

Don’t forget about the usual suspects

It’s important not to overlook the biggest drivers of high blood pressure in the U.S., chief of which is weight. If you’re overweight, losing even a few pounds can have a big impact on blood pressure — you can reduce your numbers by 1 mm Hg for every 2.2 pounds you lose, according to the Mayo Clinic.

And don’t discount your diet. Americans consume, on average, about 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day, the majority coming from packaged foods and restaurant meals. That number should be closer to 1,500 milligrams, the American Heart Association says.

“There is too much sodium in our food supply, we are not getting enough physical activity, we are gaining too much weight, and we are drinking too much alcohol, and every single one of those things contributes to increasing blood pressure levels,” Lloyd-Jones says.

To stay on top of your blood pressure, take your measurements often and “understand where you are on the spectrum,” Lloyd-Jones says. You can do this at home with a cuff-style biceps monitor. If you notice your blood pressure is starting to increase or if it’s already elevated (a systolic, or top, number that’s less than 120 and a diastolic, bottom, number less than 80 is considered normal), it’s important to be careful around the foods and habits that can make it worse, Lloyd-Jones adds. It’s also important to work with a doctor to find the best way to control it, be it with medications, lifestyle changes or both.

“Home blood pressure monitoring is a really important and empowering way for patients to take control of this,” Lloyd-Jones says.

Editor’s Note: This story, originally published April 21, 2022, has been updated to reflect new information and new reporting from Nicole Pajer.

Rachel Nania writes about health care and health policy for AARP. Previously, she was a reporter and editor for WTOP Radio in Washington, D.C. A recipient of a Gracie Award and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award, she also participated in a dementia fellowship with the National Press Foundation.​