Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Take action to improve your sense of smell
• Method 2 of 3: Know what to avoid
• Method 3 of 3: Analyze your sense of smell
• Warnings

There are many reasons for wanting to improve your sense of smell. For example, it is very closely linked to your taste. Try to eat something with your nose pinched! It is also a skill you need to describe aromas in wine, coffee, beer or tea. Your sense of smell deteriorates as you get older and there are a number of illnesses that can reduce your sense of smell. You may need medical attention for these conditions. But there are also things you can do to improve your sense of smell.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Take action to improve your sense of smell

1. Pay more attention to what you can already smell. If you don't use your muscles, you will lose them. You can also say that about your senses. The more you use your senses, the better they get! Learn how to properly describe scents. You may even be able to keep an olfactory diary! To get even better, you can have someone hold different things in front of you while you are blindfolded and then you can try to recognize things by their scent.
   • Next time you have a cup of coffee, try to smell it. If you eat a strong piece of cheese, give it a good smell first.
   • If you smell good enough of the things you eat often enough, you can slowly improve your sense of smell.
2. Train your nose. In addition to paying more attention to the smells in everyday life, you can also engage in a training regimen to improve your sense of smell. To start, choose four scents that you like. Take, for example, fresh coffee, the scent of a banana, soap or shampoo and blue cheese. Then smell these things one by one every day to stimulate the receptors in your nose. Try to do this about four to six times a day.
   • According to some studies, visualizing scents helps improve your sense of smell. Try imagining your favorite scents.
   • If you want to identify a particular scent, it may help if you take a brief sniff instead of taking a deep breath.
3. Get enough exercise. Some studies show that our sense of smell is stronger after you exercise. Whether this really works is still uncertain, but the sense of smell seems to be stronger after someone has exercised. Exercising enough so that you sweat at least once a week seems to slow down your sense of smell as you get older.
   • This could be because exercise makes your brain function better or because it already contributes to better health in general.
4. Agree with your doctor about nasal sprays. If your sense of smell is weaker due to conditions such as hay fever, nasal congestion, allergies, sinus infections, or nasal polyps, it is imperative that you first address the underlying cause to improve your sense of smell. Talk to your doctor about nasal sprays or steroids. These can help open your nostrils so you can breathe and smell better.
5. Get more zinc and vitamin B12. Hyposmia (the medical term for a decreased sense of smell) is sometimes associated with a deficiency of the mineral zinc and a deficiency of vitamin B12 in vegetarians. To improve your sense of smell, eat plenty of foods that contain a lot of zinc. Think oysters, lentils, sunflower seeds and pecans. You can also take daily multivitamin tablets containing at least 7 mg zinc.
6. Notice how different scents make you feel. The nerves that register smells are directly linked to the emotional part of your brain. So your rationality does not come into play here. For example, studies have shown that the smell of fast food, fresh bread or pastries is more likely to lead to aggressive road use, peppermint and cinnamon improve the concentration of drivers and make them less irritable and lemon and coffee make you think more clearly and that you feel can concentrate better.

Method 2 of 3: Know what to avoid

1. Do not eat foods that increase mucus production. Have you ever noticed that you can smell less well or sometimes even not at all when you have a cold? A stuffy nose can reduce your sense of smell so it is better to avoid foods that increase mucus production. Think of dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream. If you don't eat these things for a while and then try one at a time, you can try to determine which ones have the greatest effect on your sense of smell.
   • There is a channel in the back of your throat that connects your throat and the odor cells in your nose. If this channel is blocked, you won't be able to taste your food as well.
2. Stay away from substances that affect your sense of smell. There are a number of substances and chemical fumes that can affect your sense of smell. Smoking, for example, is a good example of this. So quitting smoking can improve your sense of smell. In the thirty minutes after you have smoked a cigarette, your sense of smell will be most diminished.
   • There are also drugs that can affect your sense of smell. Such as stimulants, antibiotics and other medicines.If you think you are taking something that is affecting your sense of smell, talk to your doctor.
   • Some cold medicines can affect your sense of smell.
   • Do not stop taking any prescription medication without first talking to your doctor.
3. Stay away from stench. It is suggested that long exposure to foul odors decreases your sense of smell. For example, someone who works with waste every day becomes less sensitive to that smell after a while. Reduce your exposure to strong odors. If you do need to be there, wear a mask over your nose and mouth. That mask can make the scent a little less strong.

Method 3 of 3: Analyze your sense of smell

1. Understand what can make your sense of smell worse. There are many possible causes for a decreased sense of smell. For example, the mucous membrane on the inside of your nose may be damaged or your nose may be blocked. Mucous membranes can be damaged if you have a cold, the flu, hay fever or sinus infections. These are the most common causes of a decreased sense of smell and are usually only temporary.
   • Blockages, such as nasal polyps, can reduce the sense of smell and may require surgery to resolve.
   • Damage to your brain or nerves can also affect your sense of smell. So an injury to your head can cause you to lose your sense of smell.
2. Check your sense of smell. You can ask yourself some questions about your sense of smell before taking it to the doctor. This way you can find out if there is really something wrong with it. The answers to these questions will also help your doctor diagnose if something is wrong. To start, ask yourself when you first noticed that you couldn't smell as well. What were the circumstances when this happened?
   • Did this happen once or more? Is there anything connecting the moments when it happens? For example, did you suffer from hay fever when it happened?
   • Did you have a cold or did you have the flu?
   • Did you have an injury to your head?
   • Were you exposed to house dust or other substances that you may have had an allergic reaction to?
3. Know when to see the doctor. Brief reductions in your sense of smell are quite normal. Especially if you have a cold, for example. But if the problems persist, it is still wise to make an appointment with your doctor. If necessary, your doctor will refer you to a specialist who can test you and make a diagnosis. The specialist may ask you to identify certain smells and perform a nasal endoscopy.
   • It may not seem like a big deal, but if you have a chronic problem with your sense of smell, you should really get it checked out.
   • If you cannot smell, take extra care with gas-powered appliances and avoid eating food that is out of date.
   • Problems with your sense of smell can be early signs of diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and MS.
   • Problems with your sense of smell can also be caused by high blood pressure, obesity, malnutrition and diabetes.

Warnings

• Not all scents are nice. If your sense of smell improves, you may also suffer more from bad smells.
• Sudden loss of sense of smell is often caused by inflammations of your respiratory tract such as colds and sinus infections.
• Much less often, the loss of your sense of smell can indicate conditions such as damage to your cranial nerves (the olfactory nerve), cystic fibrosis that causes nasal polyps, hypothyroidism, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's or Kallman's syndrome. Go to the doctor if you can no longer smell and cannot explain this.