Losing your sense of smell could be a sign of this serious health condition, scientists reveal

A study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Maryland was published in June 2023 which focuses on the correlation between losing your sense of smell and your ‘overall health and well-being.’

The study was published in Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences and followed ‘older adults over eight years.’ According to this study, losing the sense of smell is usually perceived as ‘an early sign’ of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s but they now state that a link can be made towards depression.

Here is what to look out for.

Losing your sense of smell changes your perception of the world

According to neurosciencenews.com, this study gathered data from ‘2,125 participants’ who were ‘healthy older adults aged 70-73 at the start.’ These participants were assessed every year in person and tested on their ‘ability to detect odours, depression and mobility.’

According to the study there was a clear change in the participants’ ability to smell as they grew older. The researchers also noticed that there was a link between the loss of smell and depression.

When analysed further, researchers found that individuals with decreased or significant loss of smell had increased risk of developing significant depressive symptoms

They also observed that ‘the worse a person’s sense of smell, the higher their depressive symptoms.’

According to the researchers, this link can be explained by the fact that smell has a strong impact on how we experience the world. Therefore, losing that sense ‘influences many aspects of our health and behaviour.’ Indeed, imagine not being able to smell your favourite food or the person you love.

Smell is an important way to engage with the world around us, and this study shows it may be a warning sign for late-life depression.

Read more:Your dog can sniff out your stress, a new breakthrough study finds

What to do if you lost your sense of smell because of COVID-19?

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people lost their sense of smell and are struggling to get it back. However, if this is your case, know that there might be way to regain that ability.

According to Henry Ford Health, ‘smell training’ also known as ‘olfactory training’ could be a way. They explain that there are daily exercises you could try at home. They explain the process this way:

• ‘use scents you have at home’ – lemon, mint, basil, anything.
• 'take gentle whiffs of it for 25 seconds': here they encourage you to actively use your memory because, as Dr Danoun explains ‘smell goes directly to the brain’s emotional center, including the areas responsible for processing emotion and memory’.
• process that smell: Give your brain time to remember the smell before moving on to the next.

Repeating these steps regularly could improve your sense of smell.

However, it is advised to seek medical help when you experience a loss of your sense of smell because it could prevent allergies from being diagnosed as well as other infections.

Sources:

neurosciencenews.com: A Fading Sense of Smell: New Predictor of Late-Life Depression?

Henry Ford Health: What Can I Do To Regain My Sense of Smell And Taste After COVID-19?