> [!waypoints] [[IRL Blog Home]] | [[Common Symptoms of Long COVID]] # IRL - Losing my senses (of smell & taste) Published: 16/7/2025 Tags: #lossofsmell, #anosmia, #hyposmia, #symptoms, #inflammation, #recovery, #IRL > [!summary]- TLDR (click to read) > A year after catching COVID, I confirmed at a family dinner that I'd lost some of my sense of smell. From a brief internet search, I found 3 main strategies for regaining it: > - Smell training > - Reduce inflammation > - Lifestyle changes, such as meditation, mindfulness and better sleep About a year after getting COVID, I was having rogan josh with rice at a restaurant when my son asked me if it was jasmine rice. It looked like it, but it had no fragrance when I tasted it. He asked to taste it and (while giving me a funny look) confirmed that it was jasmine rice. That's when I realised my sense of smell was *not* normal. It wasn't completely gone: I could still taste the curry, but it was so much less flavourful than I remembered it to be. I'd assumed the chef was having an off day. When I was cooking, I found myself second guessing how much spices or herbs to put in. If left to my taste, I would add much more than I typically would use. I would still check in with my family to ask if there was enough flavour in the food. Surely my herb & spice collection couldn't be too old already? I thought back to summer, when the Murraya in our backyard was in full flower. I remember wondering if I needed to fertilise it or something, because I could only smell its perfume when I was a couple of steps away from it. This was the same plant that used to give me headaches in previous summers when its scent wafted into the kitchen; the smell of it was so strong. After the curry dinner incident, I started paying more attention to what I could smell. Everything seemed muted. Going shopping, I'd catch a whiff of something sometimes in passing, but generally there would be an absence of smells. I ruined a pot by walking away for a moment while steaming something, got distracted for a lot longer than planned and didn't smell it burning until I came back to the kitchen. Taste too. Some foods tasted bland. Some were the same, just not as intense as I remembered. I appreciated not getting headaches from the smell of cleaning products, but started worrying about what I was missing out on without my full senses. What if I couldn't tell how well the bathroom was ventilated that day because I couldn't smell the products? Knowing how aromas and flavours can trigger memories, does a reduced capacity to smell and taste mean that I can't access certain precious memories of sharing past meals with family and friends? Would it mean I couldn't form new smell-based memories that might triggered by random future scents in the air? You know, like the memories of someone whenever you walk past a stranger wearing a similar perfume or cologne. I learnt my lesson with the pot, staying in the kitchen now whenever the stove or oven is on. (I visually double check the stove is turned off now, but how dangerous would it be if I couldn't smell a gas leak?!) Interestingly, there are some smells that I totally can't smell, while for others, I can smell a hint or sometimes more. It also seems like there are some flavours that I can't smell, but I can taste it while I'm eating. At the time of writing this, I've also noticed smelling subtle scents that my family say they can't smell. Is my sense of smell recovering while theirs has gotten worse? Or am I imagining smells that I'm expecting at the time? I wasn't sure what I could do to get my sense of smell back. So of course I did an internet search. Reassuringly, there are many websites and even YouTube videos explaining how to regain your sense of smell. ### Here's a summary of what I learned from the internet Apparently, people can lose their sense of smell from a host of different causes, including viruses (such as the ones that cause COVID-19 & flu), head injuries, medications, exposure to certain chemicals, allergies and aging. There's been decades of research on what works. More than half of people who catch COVID have full (anosmia) or partial (hyposmia) loss of smell. About a quarter of those don't regain their sense of smell for months afterwards. This [Harvard Health article from 2020 ](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/coping-with-the-loss-of-sense-of-smell-and-taste-2020101921141) is still relevant and provides useful tips and strategies for regaining the sense of smell. ### 3 main strategies for regaining the sense of smell I'll list the three main strategies I've found across different sources below and I'll list my references at the end of this article. They are: - Smell training - Reducing inflammation - Living a healthy lifestyle #### Smell Training The most commonly recommended, specific, strategy for regaining the sense of smell is smell training. It's also known as *olfactory retraining*. The training involves smelling a range of strong scents for at least 30 seconds each, twice a day, while thinking about all the things you associate with that smell. For instance, you might smell the scent of a lemon for a minute and think of memories such as a time you squeezed some lemon juice or ate a lemon cupcake. There are "smell kits" you can buy online! But it's also really easy to use common items you might have in the fridge or around the house. Below are a couple of lists of common scents that you could use. **Essential oils** - lemon - peppermint - eucalyptus - rose - cloves (they give me a rash, so I'll never want to use this one due to bad memories!) **Food items** - lemons - oranges - peanut butter - banana - coffee (I can't sleep if I drink it, but I love the smell!) - (add any other strongly flavoured food item that you have memories linked to) Choose 5-10 different smells to train with over a few months, or until your sense of smell improves. You can also stimulate your sense of smell by: - eating curries and other strongly flavoured dishes. - adding smells to your environment, such as a filling a vase with fresh flowers, baking some bread or using fresh instead of dried herbs in your cooking #### Reduce Infllammation Excessive inflammation (eg, from COVID, stress, foods & other environmental causes) can both damage the nerves we use to smell with and prevent new ones from growing. There are so many different ways to reduce inflammation, according to the internet. I kept to strategies that are lifestyle based because I figured I may as well use LC as an excuse to improve my health habits for the long term. Plus, it's less expensive that buying multiple supplements and gadgets that I'm not sure would work. **Eliminate exposure to** - toxins from chemical household products, such as cleaners, synthetic perfumes & any products that recommend "using in a well ventilated room" - air pollution - cigarette, vape & other types of smoke - dietary triggers, such as dairy, wheat, sugar or whatever foods you know you are sensitive to - alcohol **Eat foods that are rich in antioxidants** (Note: this is a general list. Pay attention to what your body likes & dislikes. Eg, I love eating kale & Chinese broccoli, but without fail my eyes get weepy & gummy for a day or two afterwards) - dark, leafy greens (think English spinach, kale, Chinese broccoli, mustard greens, swiss chard/spinach/silver beet, collard greens, etc.) - berries - oranges, lemons & other citrus - beetroot - carrots - sweet potato - broccoli & broccolini - avocado - salmon & other cold water fish - nuts & seeds - dark chocolate (70% or higher cocoa content, non dairy) In addition to containing antioxidants, carrots, sweet potatoes & leafy greens also contain Vitamin A, which helps the lining of the nose regenerate. The Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon, avocadoes, nuts and seeds help with nerve growth and health. **Drinks that are high in antioxidants** - green tea - pomegranate juice - green juice - non-dairy berry smoothies - bone broth We need enough fluids (from water & other drinks) to maintain healthy mucus levels in the nose. This allows the nerves inside the nose that pick up smells to function properly. ### Other lifestyle changes that help recovery - [[meditation]] & [[mindfulness practices]] - [[Sleep Strategies|good quality sleep]] Luckily, I was already doing some of these things without knowing they would be helpful for recovering my sense of smell. But I could definitely do better with my meditation and sleep practices! I hope some of this information gives you hope and inspires you to take some action towards improving your symptoms. Remember though to check with your GP if you have other medical conditions to take into account, *before* you make any dietary or lifestyle changes. --- #### References [Coping with the loss of smell and taste - Harvard Health](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/coping-with-the-loss-of-sense-of-smell-and-taste-2020101921141) [Understanding Olfactory Function Restoration](https://geoniti.com/articles/restoring-sense-of-smell/) [Loss Of Taste And Smell After COVID: How To Get Them Back](https://drwillcole.com/loss-of-taste-smell-after-covid/) --- >[!note] Before you click off this page, a couple of notes: >The article above describes one of my personal experiences recovering from Long COVID. It's not intended to imply or prescribe a treatment for it. > >My intention in sharing my experience is let readers with similar symptoms know that recovery is possible and maybe inspire them to look at what they can personally do to reduce their own symptoms. > >Remember to check with your GP before starting anything new that affects your health. > >--- > >If you'd like to share your personal experiences of Long COVID, either with me or with other readers on this site, click on the link to <a data-tooltip-position="top" aria-label="mailto:[email protected] subject=My Long COVID experience" rel="noopener nofollow" class="external-link" href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=My%20Long%20COVID%20Experience" target="_blank">email me</a>. I'll keep the conversation [[Privacy Policy|confidential]] unless you let me know that I can share it publicly. --- ## Read next See [[IRL Blog Home]] for more stories of living with Long COVID.