There are many reasons you may wish to improve
your sense of smell. For one thing, it's closely linked to your
sense of taste. Try tasting food with your nose pinched! It is also a required skill to
describe aromas in wine, coffee, beer, even tea. Our sense of smell tends to
decline with age, and there are a number of more serious smell disorders which
require medical treatment, but you can take steps to improve and maintain your
sense of smell
TAKING ACTION TO IMPROVE YOUR SENSE OF SMELL
1
Pay more attention to what you already smell. People
often say "use it or lose it" about muscles, but the same can be
applied towards the senses. The more you use your senses, the better you get!
Learn how to describe smells You might
even want to keep an olfactory journal! For extra practice, have
someone hold various things to your nose while you're blindfolded and see if
you can identify the smells.
·
Next time you are drinking a cup of coffee take time to really
breathe in the smell before you drink it. When you are about to bite into some
strong cheese, be sure to smell it before eating it.
·
If you regularly smell things before consuming them, you can
help improve your sense of smell over time.
2
·
Train
your nose. As well as
being more attentive to the smells you encounter in everyday life, you can go
further and adopt a training regime for your sense of smell. Begin by simply
choosing four smells that you are fond of, such as fresh coffee, banana, soap
or shampoo, and blue cheese. Then each day take a minute to go through and
smell each one individually to stimulate the receptors inside your nose. Try to
repeat this four to six times every day.
·
There is evidence that visualizing smells can help to improve
your sense of smell. Take a minute to imagine your favourite smells.
·
When you are trying to identify a particular smell you may find
it useful to smell with a shallow sniff rather than a long deep inhalation.
3
·
Get
plenty of Exercise Studies suggest that our sense of
smell is sharper after exercise. The causative link is uncertain, but it has
been reported that the sense of smell appears to be better after exercise. Exercising enough to work
up a sweat at least once a week has been connected to a lower risk of the sense
of smell diminishing as you get older.
·
This could be because exercise improves brain functions or
because it contributes to better general health.
4
·
Talk
to your doctor about nasal sprays. If your sense of smell is impaired by obstructive disorders such
as congestion or hay fever, allergies, sinus infection, or nasal polyps, it
will be necessary to treat the underlying issue in order to improve your sense
of smell. Talk to your doctor about nasal steroids, which may help clear your
nostrils and help you breathe and smell better.
·
5
Get more zinc and
vitamin B12 in your diet. Hyposmia (the
medical term for an impaired sense of smell) is sometimes linked with a
deficiency in the mineral zinc, and a deficiency of vitamin B12 in vegetarians. To boost your sense of
smell, try eating zinc-rich foods, such as oysters, lentils, sunflower seeds,
pecans and consider taking a multivitamin supplement that contains at least 7
mg of zinc each day.
6
Note how certain
smells make you feel. The nerves that
sense smell are directly connected to the emotional part of your brain, leaving your rationality out of
the equation. Studies found, for example, that the smell of fast food wrappers,
fresh bread or pastry increase the likelihood of road
rage; Peppermint and cinnamon improve concentration and decrease
irritability in drivers; and lemon and coffee promote clear thinking and high
concentration levels in general.
KNOWING WHAT TO
AVOID
1
Avoid foods that cause
excess mucus production. Have you ever noticed that your sense of smell fades, or perhaps
completely disappears, when you have a cold? Congestion in the membranes in the
nose that contain the smell-sensitive nerve endings can dull your ability to
smell, and avoiding foods that promote stuffiness (generally dairy products
like milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream) might help. Gradually
re-introducing these foods one-by-one will help you to identify which have the
biggest impact.
·
There is a channel from the back of your throat to the sensory
cells in your nose. If this channel is blocked by any kind of congestion, your
ability to taste food will be affected.
2
Steer clear of
substances that can impair your sense of smell. Various pollutants such as
chemical fumes can interfere with your sense of smell. Smoking is one common example of a
substance that can compromise your ability to smell. Quitting could help you
recover a better sense of smell. Your smell will be most
diminished in the thirty minutes after smoking a cigarette.
Various drugs can hamper your ability to smell. These includes
stimulants, depressants, antibiotics and other drugs. If you think you are
taking something that might be impairing your sense of smell, contact your
doctor.
Some cold remedies can make you lose your sense of smell.
Be sure you don't stop taking a prescribed course of drugs
without talking to your doctor first.
3
Stay away from stink.
There is a suggestion that prolonged exposure to bad smells
tends to numb your ability to smell. For example, someone who works with
compost everyday might over time become less sensitive to the odour. Try to avoid prolonged
exposure to strong smells, and if you do have to be around them, consider
wearing a mask over your nose and mouth. Wearing a mask can help filter out
some of the smells
ANALYSING YOUR
SENSE OF SMELL
1
Understand the causes
of a diminished sense of smell.
There are numerous potential causes of a loss of sense of smell.
These include damage to the mucous membranes lining the inside of your nose and
obstructions to your nasal passage. Damage to mucous membranes can occur when
you have a cold, flu, or suffer from hay fever or sinusitis. These are the most
common causes of a loss of smell and are generally temporary.
Obstructions, such as nasal polyps, can cause problems with
smell and may in some cases require surgery.
Damage to your brain or nerves can also affect your sense of
smell. A head injury can result in a loss of sense of smell.
2
Evaluate your sense of
smell.
Before you consider going to the doctor, you can ask yourself
some questions to begin the process of evaluating the deterioration of your sense
of smell. The answers to these questions will help the diagnosis if you do go
to a doctor. Start by asking when you first became aware of the loss of smell,
and then ask yourself about the conditions under which this occurred.
Was this a one off experience or does it recur? If so, what
links the times when it does recur? Were you suffering from hay fever at the
time?
Did you have a cold or flu at the time?
Had you suffered a head injury?
Were you exposed to pollutants or substances such as dust to which
you may have had an allergic reaction?
3
Know when to visit a
doctor. Short-term
changes in your sense of smell are relatively common, if you have a cold for
example, but if the problems persist and your smell doesn't return you should
make an appointment with your doctor. If necessary your doctor will refer you
to a specialist who will test you and give you a diagnosis. You may be asked to smell specific odours in a
paper booklet, and the specialist may perform an endoscopic examination of your
nose.
It may not seem the most serious health problem, but your sense
of smell is important and you should visit the doctor if you have concerns.
If you are unable to smell be especially careful with any gas
appliances and be sure not to eat any food that has passed it's best before
date.
Problems with your chemical senses can be an early sign of more
serious conditions including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and
multiple sclerosis.
Smell disorders can also be related to hypertension, obesity,
malnutrition and diabetes
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