Why is it that when you have a severe runny nose, you can barely taste food? How to restore taste when you have a cold

At times I don’t feel the taste or smell of food, although I don’t have a cold. Lack of perception occurs literally within a day, and goes away within 2 days. I am a frequent patient of an allergist, is this really related to allergy symptoms? Why is this happening to me and what should I do if unpleasant sensations occur? Anna I., 33 years old, St. Petersburg

Hello Anna. The sense of taste and smell are integral aspects of health human body. The sense of taste and smell have a close relationship, which is due to anatomical structure nose and oral cavity. Olfactory cells are located in upper section nose and differ significantly in molecular structure from other cells of the nasal cavity. Cells perceive incoming odors and transmit them to nerve receptors in the brain. Taste is perceived by the smallest papillae located in the tongue, which transmit information about the nature of the food to the brain. At the same time, some taste sensations not associated with the sense of smell. When analyzing food for taste and smell, it is often necessary to combine these two abilities of the body.

Judging by your description of the clinical situation, there is a complicated allergy history And episodic loss of receptor sensitivity without apparent reason . Unfortunately, this data is not enough for a full assessment general condition patient and manifestation of a specific disease. Presumably, allergies can act as a provoking factor in the development of a temporary absence of the ability to smell or taste.

If the patient no longer smells or tastes food, then other reasons can be assumed.

Traumatic brain injury, bruises. These do not necessarily have to be severe injuries requiring hospitalization. Sometimes a light blow is enough to damage or rupture the olfactory receptors. Nasal fractures can also cause disruption of the olfactory receptors.

Drug treatment. A long course of certain groups of drugs can contribute to a violation of the sense of smell. Chemotherapy or radiation treatment also often called various disorders innervations.

Inflammation of the mucous membrane. Disorders of taste and smell often occur due to diseases of the ENT organs of an infectious nature. Colds, acute respiratory viral infections, and acute respiratory infections lead to swelling of the mucous membrane and nasopharynx, and therefore the sensations of sleep and taste are disrupted. It should be understood that chronic diseases of the nasopharynx (for example, rhinitis, otolaryngitis, sinusitis) are also common cause pathology.

Allergic rhinitis. Based on your medical history, The cause of the disease is chronic conditions of the nasopharynx of an allergic nature.

Bad habits. Smoking, drugs, and alcohol intoxication can serve as a trigger for changes in the sensitivity of nerve receptors.

Stress,. Of course, there are strong nervous shocks here, emotional disorders. Often, treatment of pathologies of a nervous nature requires serious treatment. First you need to contact a neurologist.

Polyps in the nasal cavity. When growths appear in the nasal passages, not only the sensitivity to smell and taste is impaired, but also difficulty breathing. Treatment involves only surgical correction.

For any nature of the pathology, it requires a comprehensive and long-term treatment. The right tactics will allow patients to regain their previous sensations. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the root cause of the pathological condition.

Viral runny nose occurs in 65% of all clinical cases.

Treatment depends on the symptoms, drugs are aimed at eliminating clinical manifestations. Therapy involves taking antiviral drugs, for example, Remantadine, Relenza. A runny nose of a bacterial nature is treated symptomatically. If there is a persistent deterioration in health after blood and urine tests, it is prescribed antibacterial therapy. For allergic rhinitis, it is advisable to take antihistamine complexes (for example, Cetrin, Claritin, Zyrtec). Application vasoconstrictor drops will not bring a therapeutic effect if the nature of the disease is viral or bacterial. In addition to the lack of therapeutic effect, the body develops resistance to the drug, and multiple side effects may occur.

The next step is to rinse the nasal cavity from mucous components. This helps to wash everything pathogenic microflora, reduce swelling, restore receptor sensitivity. Suitable preparations based on sea water(Aquamaris, Aqualor). as often as needed. There are special rules for washing. It's not enough to just drop it in. Place the syringe in the nasal cavity and inject the solution so that it flows out of the other nostril. Sometimes only these measures help cope with swelling and discomfort.

The final stage is to ease breathing. Nasal breathing relieved with an inhaler, water steam, or a hot shower before bedtime. Warm drinks based on herbs, berries, and fruits are suitable. When crusts form in the nasal cavity, the reason for this is often dryness in the room, exposure to dusty industries, and constant operation of air conditioners. If the house is dry, you can use special air humidifiers and automatic sprinklers. Usually, high-quality air humidification is sufficient to eliminate the causes of the appearance of crusts on the mucous membrane of the noma.

I am not completely familiar with your medical history, but I dare to suggest the presence of an allergic pathology. I recommend re-test for an allergy panel to reveal the real reason the appearance of taste and smell disturbances. Additionally, you can contact a neurologist to exclude long-term consequences of bruises or head injuries. Sincerely.

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IN Everyday life a person is regularly at risk of contracting illnesses that cause discomfort and a lot of inconvenience. These, of course, include loss of smell. It would seem that this is not the most global health problem. However, people who have experienced it themselves have a completely opposite point of view on this matter.

Of course, many people who lose their sense of smell begin to panic. This behavior is easy to explain: who would like not to feel the aromas of flowering plants, the smells coming from the kitchen while preparing dinner, or to feel that the food has no taste at all.

Whatever one may say, when the sense of smell disappears, life becomes darker. Let's try to figure out why a person is exposed to such a risk and how he can be helped to solve the problem.

Kinds

There are two pathological conditions, in which a person’s sense of smell disappears.

In the first case (hyposmia), we are talking about a partial loss of smell caused by colds, inflammatory processes that develop on the mucous membrane, polyps and other health disorders.

The second variation occurs when a person completely loses the ability to smell. The causes of this pathology may be congenital diseases and traumatic brain injuries. Treatment methods for loss of sensitivity of nasal receptors in a given situation are individual in nature and cannot be done without the qualified assistance of a doctor. That is why, if your sense of smell disappears, do not self-medicate, but go to see a specialist.

Causes

There are a huge number of factors due to which a person loses the ability to smell.

Let's look at the most common of them.

Cold

Of course, as soon as our sense of smell and a clear sign that we are sick At this moment they activate inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx, the cause of which is a common runny nose. Against this background, blockage of the nasal passages and swelling of the mucous membrane occurs. All this leads to the fact that they cease to perform their function. With ARVI, the situation is complicated by the fact that some areas of the “sensitive” epithelium are destroyed. If you have lost your sense of smell after the flu, immediately contact your doctor who can prescribe you the right treatment.

Dry air

In some cases, a person ceases to smell due to low air humidity.

This leads to the dilation of blood vessels and the development of rhinitis. At the same time, the nasal passages narrow and air movement becomes more difficult.

Smoking

Do you want to know why your sense of smell disappears? It's all about bad habit smoke. When a person inhales tobacco smoke, V nasal cavity a huge amount of irritating substances penetrates. Naturally, the body tries its best to minimize the sensitivity of the receptors. As a result, a person loses the ability to smell not only the smell of smoke, but also other aromas. Smokers should also remember that the “poisonous” effect of nicotine can provoke neuritis of the olfactory nerve.

Lack of insulin in the blood

If a person suffers from type 1 diabetes, then the fats in his body break down very quickly. All this contributes to the concentration of volatile compounds that are released through the lungs.

The diabetic begins to feel that there is acetone in the carbon dioxide he exhales. The situation is complicated by the fact that volatile compounds, irritating the sensitive receptors of the nasal passages, cause a certain dependence on them, as a result of which a person’s ability to smell is reduced.

If we are talking about type 2 diabetes, then there is a disruption of blood flow in the area of the olfactory receptors, which ultimately can lead to their death.

Nervous system disorders

AND infectious diseases, striking nervous system, can also cause a person to lose the ability to smell.

A brain tumor

Loss of smell may indicate that a person may develop brain cancer. The tumor can affect the areas responsible for the sense of smell. To detect the disease in a timely manner, it is necessary to perform an MRI procedure.

Among other reasons for loss of sensitivity of nasal receptors may be allergic rhinitis, and curvature of the septum of the respiratory organ, and problems with the secretion of the nasal mucosa.

Treatment methods

As already emphasized, methods for restoring the ability to smell are individual in nature; their use depends on the specifics of the cause that caused the pathology.

In particular, if a person has lost his sense of smell after a cold, then he is “prescribed” a course of local and general antiviral therapy, in combination with anti-inflammatory antiallergenic drugs.

Of course, in most cases, when the need arises to solve the above problem, everyone rushes to the pharmacy to purchase If the sense of smell has disappeared with a runny nose, then drugs such as Naphthyzin or Naphazolin will help. They reduce the level of pressure on receptors, narrow blood vessels and increase the lumen of the nasal cavity. However, they must be used strictly according to the instructions.

If the sense of smell is lost due to allergic rhinitis, then they will help correct the situation antihistamines, and in complicated forms - drugs that contain corticosteroid hormones.

If the sensitivity of the receptors is lost due to the curvature of the nasal septum, then surgical methods cannot be avoided.

When receptor sensitivity is associated with oncological processes in the brain, chemotherapy is used in combination with surgery.

Alternative Treatment Options

The sense of smell can also be restored through traditional medicine methods. Essential oils and inhalations based on herbal ingredients. In particular, you should use: Just drop a few drops onto a napkin, which then needs to be placed on the pillow next to the patient.

You can prepare a decoction from the following ingredients: lemon juice(10 drops), lavender essential oil (3-4 drops), boiling water (200 ml). You should inhale the vapor of this mixture through each nostril for 5 minutes. The procedure should be done for 10 days, once a day.

Such an unpleasant phenomenon as a runny nose cannot quickly disappear or not manifest itself with additional symptoms; the most typical is a temporary loss of smell and taste. Our article will tell you why this condition occurs, what to do and how to recover as quickly as possible and restore the fullness of sensations.

Mechanism of action of the sense of smell

The special olfactory region is located in the upper part of the nasal passage and its structure differs significantly from the characteristic mucous structure of the nasal cavity. The sensitivity of the olfactory region is developed individually for everyone, so we determine the persistence of aroma and subtle notes of odors slightly differently. Special receptors transmit molecules to the brain via ultra-sensitive nerve fibers. Our main “computer” analyzes the information received and gives a definition, the classification of aromas occurs automatically, and the new smell is entered into the “database” for further memorization.

Mechanism of action of the sense of taste

Our tongue is a whole field of small taste buds, which also analyze objects for the presence of another essential feature - taste. This occurs thanks to tiny papillae that are visible to the naked eye on the surface of the tongue. As many will remember from school course biology, language is divided into several regions, each of which defines only one of four possible tastes.

The language is divided into the following zones:

The sweet taste is determined at the very tip of the tongue, the area responsible for detecting this particular taste.
A little further, on the side parts there are “salty” receptors, thanks to which we feel the amount of salt in food.
The side of the tongue, next to the "salty" area, is well suited for sour tastes.
The root of the tongue, or rather, the receptors located on it, determine bitterness - the fourth taste that we are able to feel.

The entire incredibly complex taste range of all possible products and dishes in the world is obtained by mixing these four tastes. Each person also tastes the same food differently. There are people with a particularly delicate taste and sense of smell. As a rule, they can prove themselves well as professional tasters.

Recent research in this area has confirmed a significant decrease in the sensitivity of taste and olfactory receptors with increasing human age. First of all, this is, of course, due to the inevitable aging and wear and tear of all organs, but it can also be the consequences of past diseases, one of which will be a common runny nose.

Why is the sense of smell and taste lost during illness (the sense of smell may disappear / disappear)

What happens to the olfactory and taste receptors during a runny nose and why they can disappear can be most clearly demonstrated by the following example. When cold symptoms occur, the sinuses begin to actively produce special mucus, which is designed to fight the disease, preventing infection from entering the body. She does not always succeed in this, but this is a separate issue, and in the case of a runny nose, it is the swelling of the mucous membrane that blocks the area of smell. After the disease is successfully defeated, the nasal mucosa gradually returns to normal and the olfactory area also restores its functions.

The well-known drops for the treatment of a runny nose, which we use without hesitation, at the first symptoms, have a very harmful effect on the complex “mechanism” of nasal perception. The effect of this medicine is based on its vasoconstrictor effect, so frequent and uncontrolled use leads to dysfunction muscle wall vessels. They simply stop performing their duties and therefore the swelling of the mucous membrane does not go away for a long time even after complete recovery.

Manufacturers of such medications sometimes write honestly about the possibility of addiction to the drug, but for some reason we are accustomed to considering nasal drops the most harmless and simple medicine.

The second common cause of loss of smell would be allergic runny nose. The principle of action will be similar: swelling of the mucous membrane, but constant exposure to the allergen will also not pass without a trace. Thus, the body itself resists harmful factors, simply “turning off” the now useless olfactory area.

The most serious cause of loss or distortion of the sense of smell may be certain diseases of the central nervous system. At the first signs of such phenomena, urgent examination and medical assistance are necessary.

Types and stages of nervous system disease:

Anosmia - total loss sensitivity of the olfactory area. It may be a consequence of complications after influenza and ARVI, as well as a stroke and damage to the central nervous system.
Hyposmia- decreased sensitivity and perception of smells. It is this symptom that is observed after a runny nose and viral diseases. People with chronic diseases nasopharynx.
Cacosmia- distorted perception of smells. Manifests itself in the form of failures in the received information. A common cause is tumor formation in the olfactory area.
Hyperosmia - increased sensitivity to smells, when even a subtle aroma becomes unbearable torture. It is observed not only in cases of disturbances in the functioning of the olfactory receptors, but also as a signal of a malfunction of the nervous system. Patients often experience specific olfactory “hallucinations,” when patients smell a foreign odor that others cannot sense.

All these phenomena, in best case scenario, cause discomfort, and also signal serious problems with health. You should not delay visiting a specialist, because any disruption to the normal functioning of the body can lead to serious consequences.

What to do to regain your senses of perception

It should be noted here that loss of sensitivity after a runny nose is temporary and is a completely natural phenomenon. It may take a week for the lost senses to fully return, but if after this period the sense of smell and taste have not returned, the reason may not be a runny nose.

The most popular treatment methods that will help restore your sense of smell.

How to restore your sense of smell after a runny nose and ARVI:

Home inhalations - excellent remedy regain your sense of smell. Traditional folk medicine recipes will be very appropriate here. The “classic” method - breathing over boiled potatoes - is familiar to most of us first-hand, and also brings good results in treatment colds, runny nose and cough. You can use decoctions pharmaceutical herbs, even just water with added essential oils. To do this, you need to make sure that you are not allergic to this scent and ask your loved ones to calculate a dosage that is comfortable for the person.
Cotton swabs, soaked in special mixtures, will help restore your sense of smell very quickly. Examples of such mixtures are presented below:
1. Liquid honey
2. Aloe or Kalanchoe juice, diluted in half with water.
3. Mumiyo in half with vegetable oil.
4. Propolis and butter.
5. For those who don’t know, it is used for runny nose and nasal congestion. This is a balm that is best used to smear the wings of the nose, not the mucous membrane.
Homemade drops- one of . The following composition is recognized as the most effective: one part of camphor and menthol oils are mixed. It is necessary to instill two or three drops into each nostril three times a day.
Regular rinsing of the nasopharynx saline solutions have also worked well. You can use herbal decoctions, for example, leftover inhalation solution. It is more convenient to rinse your nose with a special watering can, which you can buy at the pharmacy. The algorithm itself is simple:
1. Tilt your head a little.
2. Pour the solution into one nostril little by little (you can use a syringe without a needle).
3. After the liquid has safely flowed out of the other nostril, the procedure is repeated for it.

The technique is simple, like everything ingenious, discomfort such manipulations quickly go away and cannot be compared with medical methods(just remember the well-known “cuckoo”). Regular rinsing will not only help with diseases of the nasopharynx, but also help strengthen immune system and raising vitality body. This procedure has no contraindications; it can be performed on pregnant women and children.

The “shock therapy” method helps well: this is when the patient takes turns inhaling sharp, specific odors. Examples of such odors can be garlic, menthol and pine essential oils, natural coffee, turpentine or Vishnevsky ointment and other strong-smelling substances.

Video

This video will tell you how to restore your sense of smell.

Loss of smell after a runny nose - unpleasant symptom, which usually goes away after eliminating the cause itself. Traditional methods can help restore your sense of smell faster: inhalations, special homemade drops and lubricants inner surface nasal mucosa. If loss of sensitivity is observed a week after recovery, you should be very wary of this symptom, because this may signal serious problems with the central nervous system. Correct diagnosis and timely treatment- the key to successful victory over the disease and restoration of the former sense of smell. Read how to restore taste and smell during a cold.

Due to allergies, colds or viral infections, a person may lose the ability to smell and, accordingly, taste food. In most cases, this goes away as soon as the runny nose ends. But it happens that rhinitis goes away, but the sense of smell does not return or is not fully restored. This is already a cause for concern.

In medicine, a complete loss of the ability to smell is called anosmia, and a partial loss is called hyposmia. The reasons for their occurrence are considered:

Anatomical pathologies of various nature, which only get worse with a runny nose. Such pathologies include polyps, deviated nasal septum, adenoids, nasal tumors and hypertrophy of the nasal turbinates.
Colds, because because of them the mucous membrane in the nose swells, which creates significant interference with the access of air to the olfactory zone.
Chronic or allergic rhinitis and chronic inflammatory diseases paranasal sinuses(for example, sinusitis or the same frontal sinusitis).
Necessity long time inhale toxic substances: acid fumes, petroleum products, tobacco smoke, paint, etc.
Too much long-term use drops or sprays for a runny nose. Most often, swelling of the nasal mucosa is caused by drugs such as Reserpine, Naphthyzin, Naphazoline, estrogen and phenothiazines.
Illnesses suffered in childhood: mumps, scarlet fever or measles. May also affect various diseases eyes, ears and even teeth.
Brain damage occurs when air enters the olfactory zone, but odor information from the olfactory receptors is not perceived. This happens due to traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer's disease, etc.
Inflammation of the olfactory nerve, which has infectious nature, or intoxication chemicals: lead, solvent, cadmium, insecticides.
Surgical intervention, plastic surgery or radiation therapy in the sinus area.

Loss of smell can be one-sided or two-sided; sensitivity can disappear to all smells or to some specific ones at once.

Diagnostic methods

If you have a cold, allergies, viral infection etc. have passed, but the nose cannot smell and is still stuffy, you should definitely consult a doctor, since only in a hospital with the use of appropriate equipment can you accurately determine the cause. The otolaryngologist will listen to the patient’s complaints, examine the nasopharynx and refer for tests.

Laboratory research in such cases includes:

rhinoscopy;
X-ray of the sinuses;
computed tomography;
ultrasonography.

A study of the mucous membranes of the mouth, tongue, and ear conditions is also carried out. And in some cases, the doctor may consider a neurological examination necessary.

How to treat smell disorder?

If your sense of smell is impaired, your doctor may prescribe:

sanitation of the nasal cavity in combination with a course of treatment of the paranasal sinuses;
surgical intervention in the presence of mechanical obstructions in the nose for air flow;
targeted therapy for the underlying disease (for example, allergies or chronic runny nose), causing loss of smell.

If the reason is organic damage CNS, i.e. various tumors, violation cerebral circulation, previous meningitis and other similar ailments, the prognosis for recovery will be less favorable, since the treatment is complex and may be persistent. The same applies to nasopharyngeal injuries. If the cause is atrophy of the nasal mucosa associated with age-related changes or with damage to the olfactory nerve, anosmia is considered irreversible. Improvement may occur spontaneously, but this cannot be predicted.

ethnoscience

If the loss of taste and smell occurs due to a cold, then home treatment methods will effectively help. The most effective of them are:

nasal rinsing saline solution, which has a disinfecting effect that relieves swelling and inflammation;
inhalation with essential vapors of cedar, eucalyptus, mint and lime or massage of the nasal sinuses using the same oils (this method of treatment is suitable for those who do not suffer from allergies);
improving blood circulation by warming the hands, which are lowered into a basin with hot water. This method can enhance the sense of smell;
daily use of propolis tampons, which you can easily do yourself at home.

Traditional medicine methods should be used with caution, since in case of polyps and neoplasms they can cause tumor growth or bleeding.

If your sense of smell is lost and does not recover within a few days, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.

The sense of smell is one of the main senses that every person is endowed with. It is noteworthy that we begin to recognize odors immediately after birth, but with age this sensation gradually dulls and this is considered physiological norm. But sudden loss This feeling can unsettle you for a long time. A person who has lost his sense of smell becomes nervous, irritable and angry. And this is not surprising, because dysfunction of the sensory organs leads to a malfunction of other organs and systems of our body, including the brain and central nervous system.

In this article we will figure out what to do if your sense of smell is lost, how to restore it at home and prevent it from happening again in the future.

Weakened sense of smell

Having lost the ability to recognize odors, a person immediately begins to wonder why the sense of smell has disappeared. The reasons for this are as follows:

lesions of the nasal mucosa;
Infectious and inflammatory processes in the nasal sinuses and passages;
Allergy.

If there is a lack of sense of smell, the reasons for this are somehow related to the functioning of the nose. Because it is the main organ that provides a person with this feeling. And swelling of the mucous membrane can cause its dysfunction. Quite often, a lost sense of smell indicates the imminent onset of rhinitis, and sometimes the fact that the sense of smell has disappeared is discovered already at the stage of recovery. Below we will look at options on how to restore your sense of smell. folk remedies, methods for restoring the sense of smell and the procedure for checking its sharpness.

Types of smell loss

Smell impairment can be of two types:

Hyposmia, characterized by a decrease in sense of smell;
Anosmia, in which the sense of smell is completely absent.

These two types of disorders significantly reduce the quality of life. They prevent you from perceiving the world normally and have a negative effect on the nervous system. That is why it is necessary to restore this lost function as soon as possible. For this, there are several methods and methods, both traditional and non-traditional, including folk medicine.

Ways to restore your sense of smell

If your sense of smell has disappeared after a cold, your doctor will best tell you what to do. Most likely he will appoint local drugs, which are traditional vasoconstrictors, such as, and others. But they should not be abused.

Long-term use of vasoconstrictors threatens backfire. They can provoke even greater swelling of the mucous membrane, which will delay the restoration of the sense of smell and cause increased irritability of the patient.

Inhalation with a nebulizer

You can take measures to restore full functionality of the nose even before recovery. Any practicing doctor can tell you how to restore taste and smell during a cold. You can do this at home, using steam baths or wet inhalations with a nebulizer. They are designed to soften the mucus both in the nasal passages and in the deeper sections, which will facilitate its rapid removal out.

You can use either regular water steam or decoction steam. medicinal herbs. Such procedures need to be carried out three times a day, for an average of 20 minutes. You need to inhale the healing steam through your nose and exhale through your mouth. This method will be effective both at the very beginning of a cold and during its peak.

Quite often, when asked what to do if the sense of smell and taste has disappeared, our mothers and grandmothers recommend turning to a reference book of traditional medicine, which offers a number of recipes for restoring this sense.

It should be noted that many “grandmother’s” methods aimed at restoring the sense of smell can simultaneously relieve symptoms general disease, which caused a similar violation of nasal sensitivity. It is best if, before you start using them, you get competent advice from a doctor who will be well aware of all the objective reasons for the loss of smell.. Both treatment after a cold and rehabilitation after surgical intervention into the nasal cavity is assumed full recovery functionality of the nose and its olfactory receptors.

Essential oils

Let's go back to folk medicine. The first thing that is proposed to restore olfactory function is inhalation. Below we give several popular recipes that can be used even after the flu:

Inhaling basil oil applied to a napkin;
Steam inhalations with essential oil eucalyptus;
Inhalation with an aqueous solution of lemon juice with lavender and mint oil.

In addition to inhalations, to restore the sense of smell, you can use nasal instillation with a mixture of camphor and menthol oils. And, of course, popular in our country, inhaling steam from boiled potatoes, which we usually use to treat all types of ENT diseases. In case of loss of smell, this “grandmother’s” method works great.

Traditional methods

Warming up the nose

Other folk methods of restoring lost sense of smell would be:

Warming the nasal areas with a blue lamp;
Periodic tension and weakening of the facial muscles of the nose;
Rinsing the nasal passages with saline solution;
Applying metal coins smeared with honey to the bridge of the nose;
Inhaling a mixture of medicinal herbs ground into powder - lily of the valley, chamomile, mint and caraway;
Regular inhalation of strong odors;
Introduction into the nasal passages of medicinal turundas soaked in peppermint oil mixed with alcohol tincture propolis;
Ingestion of sage decoction, which is effective medicine for many diseases of the ENT organs.

With regular use of at least several of the above traditional methods the effect will be obvious. With their help, you can regain your sense of smell even several years after losing it.

How to test your sense of smell

Olfactory acuity test

If you find that you have no sense of smell and taste, we have already told you what to do first. Now all that remains is to act and try to regain the lost sense of smell as quickly as possible. And after the olfactory receptors have recovered a little, it is recommended to check their functioning. And you can do this at home. To do this you will need to carry out a special test, the essence of which will be to distinguish a variety of odors with the nose.

This test will consist of several stages, and at each of them the task will become more and more difficult. So, at the first stage you will need to distinguish the smells of three different objects, for example, laundry soap, alcohol and drops of valerian. At the second stage The task can be complicated and asked to distinguish between sugar and salt by smell. After this, more complex odors will be recognized - a burnt match, chocolate, coffee beans, etc.

People with a healthy sense of smell pass this test without problems. But if during the process you have difficulties or you make a mistake in recognizing the aroma, we recommend that you urgently visit a doctor. The sooner a decrease in sense of smell is detected, the easier it will be to restore it later.

Conclusion

Many people mistakenly believe that smell is not as important a sense as, for example, vision and hearing. But this is far from true. For harmonious development personality and health, it is extremely important that all of a person’s senses are in working order. Otherwise, there is a high probability of developing neuroses, psychoses, apathy and depression. Therefore, if you discover problems with your sense of smell, you need to solve them as soon as possible.