How to Improve Your Sense of Smell
Pay more attention to what you already smell., Train your nose., Get plenty of exercise., Talk to your doctor about nasal sprays., Get more zinc and vitamin B12 in your diet., Note how certain smells make you feel.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 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. -
Step 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., 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., 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., 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. , 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. -
Step 3: Get plenty of exercise.
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Step 4: Talk to your doctor about nasal sprays.
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Step 5: Get more zinc and vitamin B12 in your diet.
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Step 6: Note how certain smells make you feel.
Detailed Guide
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.
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., 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., 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., 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. , 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.
About the Author
Angela Kim
A passionate writer with expertise in home improvement topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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