Changes to your sense of smell are common as you age.
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Often, just the thought of a pleasant aroma (think: freshly cut grass, your morning cup of coffee, or freshly baked apple pie) can trigger your brain to conjure up its scent.
But as you age, your once-strong sense of smell may decline.
It’s true: As you age, especially after age 70, your sense of smell may weaken, depending on the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
In fact, “half of people over 65 suffer decreased sense of smell,” said Philip Chen, MD, FARSassociate professor of otolaryngology and rhinology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Depending on the cause, this decreased sense of smell – known as “hyposmia” when it is a partial loss and “anosmia” when it is a loss Total – can be temporary or permanent, depending on the cause. Mayo Clinic.
Find out here what causes loss of smell in older people and what you can do to regain your ability to sniff.
Why smell is important
Most of us take our sense of smell for granted, but the ability to perceive different smells is important for many aspects of life and health.
On the one hand, the perception of odors is closely linked to your sense of taste. If your sense of smell diminishes, food may start to taste bland and become less pleasant, depending on the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
And if that happens, it can put you off eating, which can eventually cause malnutrition, unhealthy weight loss, and even depression, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Not only can a weakened sense of smell affect your overall health and quality of life, it can even put you in danger. Without a keen sense of smell, you won’t be able to detect potentially harmful odors like smoke, gas leaks, spoiled food and other dangerous chemicals, according to the NIA.
Advice
If you experience trouble with your sense of smell, you might miss some danger signs. To avoid potentially dangerous situations, make sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home and always check the expiration date on foods, says Dr. Chen.
Why you may lose your sense of smell as you age
While there are many possible reasons for a loss of smell, Dr. Chen says the causes often fall into two broad categories (whether you’re an elderly person or not):
- Driver: where odor particles cannot reach the olfactory area at the top of the nose (think: serious nasal blockages like a bad cold or infection, nasal polyps or even tumors)
- Neurosensory: where the olfactory nerves are not functioning properly and the olfactory fibers are not picking up or processing the signal properly (think: neurodegenerative disorders, medications, and certain viruses, like the one that causes COVID-19)
To better understand, here are the common causes of loss of smell:
1. You lose nerve endings
“As we age, we experience a loss of olfactory nerve fibers,” that is, the nerves in the nose, explains Dr. Chen.
No one really knows why this happens, but “some think that the neuroepithelium (where the olfactory sensory fibers are located) degenerates with age, much like other nerves in the body,” he says. “This degeneration leads to a decrease in the number of olfactory sensory nerves and causes atrophy of the olfactory bulb.”
And with fewer nerves in this nasal area, “we don’t perceive smell as well or as strongly,” says Dr. Chen.
2. You have less mucus in your nose
As you age, your body produces less mucus, which can affect your sense of smell.
The mucous membranes of your nose contain olfactory receptor cells, which play an important role in your ability to smell, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Before your body can sense an odor, it enters the nasal cavity and must be absorbed by the mucus in the olfactory lining, explains Dr. Chen. “This mucus transmits the smell to your olfactory receptors,” he adds.
Basically, mucus helps keep aromas in your nose long enough for your nerve endings to perceive them, according to the NLM.
If you have less mucus, “the ability to carry smell to the right place decreases,” and with it, your overall sense of smell decreases as well, says Dr. Chen.
But why does mucus production decrease with age? “We don’t have all the answers yet,” says Dr. Chen. “One theory is that the mucous membranes lining the nose thin over time, thereby decreasing the productivity of mucus-producing cells.”
This thinning may be due in part to poor blood circulation within the mucous membranes, which can cause less humidification of the air you breathe and lead to drying, he adds.
3. You take certain medications
As we age, we are more likely to take medication for a health problem. It turns out that certain types of medications might make your sense of smell worse.
“Hundreds of medications have been reported to cause loss or changes in smell,” says Dr. Chen. “The reasons for these changes depend on the specific pathways and effects of medications in the body.”
“For example, some antidepressants accumulate in the cell, leading to changes in the biochemical properties of the cell and in the response to a stimulus such as odorants,” explains Dr. Chen.
According to the NIA, other common medications that can minimize your sense of smell include antibiotics and blood pressure medications.
Advice
If you think your medication is affecting your sense of smell, don’t just stop taking it. Always talk to your doctor, who may be able to adjust your dose or prescribe a different type of medication that does not cause odor-related side effects.
4. You are undergoing radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or other cancer treatments
Although cancer treatments can save lives, they can sometimes cause side effects like loss of sense of smell.
For example, “radiation, especially to the head and neck area, damages the delicate nasal mucosa,” explains Dr. Chen.
As a result, your nose produces less mucus, which as we know can impair your sense of smell.
Likewise, chemotherapy can kill olfactory cells. This is because chemotherapy targets rapidly replicating cells (including olfactory cells) and cannot differentiate between cancer cells and healthy non-cancerous cells, explains Dr. Chen.
5. You have another underlying health condition
With aging comes an increased risk of developing a serious medical condition, some of which can affect your ability to smell.
For example, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are associated with a loss of smell, says Dr. Chen.
In these cases, the nerves that connect to the part of the brain that perceives smell — or to the brain itself — may deteriorate, diminishing the sense of smell, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Indeed, “some think that inflammation of the olfactory bulb, where olfactory nerve fibers connect to the brain, prevents the nerves from working as well,” says Dr. Chen.
What to do if you lose your sense of smell
Unfortunately, loss of smell is often beyond your control. But there are some things you can do in some cases to stimulate your sniffing. These include:
“Olfactory training “It involves sniffing four different scents (like rose, clove, eucalyptus and lemon) for months to train the brain to smell again.”
Specifically, you sniff each scent twice a day (before breakfast and at bedtime) for 20 to 30 seconds each, depending on StatPearls, while concentrating on the smell of the perfume. For best results, try to stick to this practice for at least 24 weeks.
Although the exact mechanism is unknown, people with olfactory dysfunction due to previous infection, injury, or Parkinson’s disease all appear to benefit from olfactory training.
In fact, patients with post-infectious olfactory problems saw an improvement in their sense of smell after just 16 weeks of olfactory training and had even better results after a year, according to a June 2016 study. Rhinology.
Dehydration can lead to dry mouth, depending on the Cleveland Clinicand having dry mucous membranes can impair your taste and smell.
To stay well hydrated (and keep your mucous membranes moist), try drinking about half your body weight in ounces of water each day. So, for example, if you weigh 160 pounds, try drinking 80 ounces, or about 10 cups of water. (Just be sure to check with your doctor first, especially if you have kidney, liver, or heart problems, or if you’re taking medications that cause fluid retention.)
“Many believe that loss of smell is due to inflammation of the olfactory nerves and bulb, and therefore topical steroids are often tried to decrease this inflammation,” says Dr. Chen.
For this reason, steroids are often given as an irrigation or sinus wash to bring the medication high up in the nose, where the olfactory fibers live.
In addition to topical treatments, “some doctors are trying oral steroids, but there is not much evidence of their effectiveness,” he adds.
Some supplements with known anti-inflammatory properties are also worth trying to regain your sense of smell.
For example, “you can try fish oil (which contains omega-3) or vitamin A to help fight inflammation,” says Dr. Chen.
Warning
Always talk to your doctor before taking a new supplement to make sure it is safe for you based on your medications and medical condition.
Talk to your doctor if you notice that your nose no longer works as it used to. Although the cause is often harmless and a natural part of aging, doctors can help you properly evaluate and determine the root of your odor perception problem.
Once the cause is found, treatment can be tailored to your specific situation, in the form of scent training or medication.
Keep in mind, however, that “if the loss of smell is associated with new nasal obstruction, bleeding, facial numbness, vision changes, or lumps in the neck, seek medical attention immediately.” ”, as these may be signs of a more serious medical problem. issue that requires immediate attention, says Dr. Chen.
