What Does It Mean When Your Sense of Smell Is Enhanced? (2024)

What Is It
- What is hyperosmia?
Causes
- What causes hyperosmia?
Symptoms
- What are the symptoms of hyperosmia?
Complications
- What are the possible complications of hyperosmia?
Diagnosis
- How is hyperosmia diagnosed?
Treatment
- What are the treatment options for hyperosmia?
Comments
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A heightened sense of smell may indicate an underlying medical condition

If you have a heightened sense of smell (hyperosmia) that comes and goes, it may indicate an underlying medical condition.

Hypersomia can make you feel sick to your stomach due to an increased ability to perceive odors. Learn about causes, symptoms, and treatment.

What is hyperosmia?

Hyperosmia is a rare condition and challenging to diagnose. The diagnosis is mostly established based on symptoms.

Various factors cause these changes in sense of smell, including hormonal changes, genetic factors, migraines, nasal polyps, and head injuries.

What causes hyperosmia?

Hyperosmia can be a minor side effect or a symptom of a serious illness. Possible causes of hyperosmia include:

Pregnancy: Your perceptions of taste and smell can change during pregnancy, especially during the first few months. You may find some tastes and odors intolerable, and they can make you feel extremely nauseous.
Migraines: During the headache phase of your migraine, your sense of smell may become heightened.
Seizures: Olfactory hallucinations or seizures that originate in the middle of your temporal lobe (the area of your brain responsible for memory storage) can cause you to smell strong odors. These odors may indicate that you are about to experience a seizure.
Autoimmune diseases: Autoimmune diseases are related to changes in your olfactory system, which can be affected by environmental or hereditary factors.
Allergies: Nasal congestion frequently coexists with upper respiratory allergies. This can make it harder to identify smells. It is believed that this is connected to changes in the superficial nerve receptors in the nasal passages.
Upper respiratory infection: You can develop hypersensitivity to some smells when you have a stuffy nose or sinus infection.
Neurological conditions: Neurological conditions including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke can cause hypersomia.

What are the symptoms of hyperosmia?

Common symptoms of hyperosmia include

Noticing smells you would usually filter out
Feeling sick when smelling something
Getting a headache when exposed to strong odors

A heightened sense of smell can cause you to get sick from the smell of cigarette smoke or be overwhelmed by the scent of perfume, which can occasionally cause vomiting. Even the smell of cooking and scented candles can make you sick.

Hyposmia typically causes decreased appetite and weight loss. However, it can also lead to weight gain in some cases. This is because your sense of taste can be affected by hyperosmia. For example, if you find spicy foods to be overpowering or are not enjoying them as before, your taste buds may have gotten overly sensitive.

Associated symptoms include

Rhinitis
Respiratory issues
An itchy nose
Vomiting and nausea
Anxiety and depression
Chronic fatigue, panic attacks, and social phobia

What are the possible complications of hyperosmia?

The most serious complication of hyperosmia is anosmia, which is a profound olfactory impairment. Anosmia refers to the complete loss of smell perception and may follow hyperosmia. This could be a lifelong issue with a longer recovery time.

If hyperosmia is left undiagnosed or untreated, it can lead to anxiety, panic attacks, depression, social anxiety, and poor quality of life.

QUESTION The abbreviated term ADHD denotes the condition commonly known as: See Answer

How is hyperosmia diagnosed?

Diagnosing hyperosmia involves reviewing your medical history and performing a physical examination. Your doctor may also advise a blood test and an imaging test to identify underlying diseases that might be causing hyperosmia.

Diagnostic tests may include:

Scratch and sniff test
Sip, spit, and rinse tests
CT scan
MRI scan
Endoscopy

What are the treatment options for hyperosmia?

If you suspect you have hyperosmia, consult your doctor to determine the cause and receive appropriate treatment. Depending on the underlying cause, treatments may include medication, surgery, or lifestyle changes.

Avoiding the trigger that causes offending smells is the best course of action for hypersomnia. People who suffer from hypersomnia may find it easier to avoid unpleasant odors if they chew candy or peppermint.

If your symptoms are a side effect of a certain medication, your doctor may recommend switching prescriptions. If the cause is an abnormal growth in the nose or skull, surgery may be necessary in rare cases.

If your hyperosmia does not go away with these measures, you should consult an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) expert to determine the best course of action.

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Medically Reviewed on 11/21/2022

References

Image Source: Getty image

What’s That Smell? What You Need to Know About Hyperosmia. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/whats-that-smell-what-you-need-to-know-about-hyperosmia/

Hyperosmia. https://www.sensorysociety.org/knowledge/sspwiki/Pages/Hyperosmia.aspx

Smell and Taste Disorders. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/smell-and-taste-disorders

What Is Hyperosmia? https://www.webmd.com/brain/what-is-hyperosmia

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FAQs

What Does It Mean When Your Sense of Smell Is Enhanced? ›

Strong odors might be overwhelming and make you feel nauseated. This heightened sense of smell is called hyperosmia

hyperosmia

Hyperosmia is an increased olfactory acuity (heightened sense of smell), usually caused by a lower threshold for odor. This perceptual disorder arises when there is an abnormally increased signal at any point between the olfactory receptors and the olfactory cortex.

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › hyperosmia

Hyperosmia - Wikipedia

. It can happen consistently or during certain periods of time. If it comes and goes, it may be a sign of an underlying medical condition.

Get More Info Here ›

Why do I suddenly have a heightened sense of smell? ›

Hyperosmia is a rare condition and challenging to diagnose. The diagnosis is mostly established based on symptoms. Various factors cause these changes in sense of smell, including hormonal changes, genetic factors, migraines, nasal polyps, and head injuries.

Discover More Details ›

What does it mean when your sense of smell gets better? ›

Hyperosmia (enhanced sense of smell) has many causes, including Lyme disease, migraines, hormone deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency, obesity, Addison's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), type 1 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and more.

Keep Reading ›

What do you call someone with a heightened sense of smell? ›

Medically known as hyperosmia, super smellers are people who have a heightened sense of smell compared to the average person. Some super smellers may be more sensitive to pleasant smells, while others may be more affected by unpleasant odours.

What hormone causes heightened sense of smell? ›

Your sense of smell peaks from day 8 up until ovulation. Oestrogen rises at this time until it peaks and testosterone also rises and peaks just before ovulation. The closer you get to ovulation, the more oestrogen improves your smelling ability, helping you to detect more subtleties in aromas.

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Why can I smell more than usual? ›

Your body odor can change due to hormones, the food you eat, infection, medications or underlying conditions like diabetes. Prescription-strength antiperspirants or medications may help.

Read On ›

Is a heightened sense of smell a symptom of anxiety? ›

They found that as anxiety levels rose, so did the subjects' ability to discriminate negative odors accurately -- suggesting a 'remarkable' olfactory acuity to threat in anxious subjects.

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What diseases affect the sense of smell? ›

Problems with your chemical senses may be a sign of other serious health conditions. A smell disorder can be an early sign of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, or multiple sclerosis. It can also be related to other medical conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and malnutrition.

How do you get rid of a heightened sense of smell? ›

In those cases,doctors can recommend supportive treatment measures, such as:

Saline washes or sprays to keep the nose healthy and moist.
Medications to help with any nausea or vomiting induced by your extreme sensitivity to smells.
Masks to block strong odors.
Gum or candy to disguise cringe-worthy smells.

Nov 11, 2019

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Why do I suddenly smell perfume out of nowhere? ›

Phantosmia may be caused by a head injury or upper respiratory infection. It also can be caused by aging, trauma, temporal lobe seizures, inflamed sinuses, brain tumors, certain medicines and Parkinson's disease. Phantosmia also can result from a COVID-19 infection.

Is heightened sense of smell genetic? ›

Causes of Hyperosmia. Some people naturally have a heightened sensitivity to smell all the time. This is believed to be genetic, and it has been linked with the SCN9A gene, which codes for sodium channels (a component of nerve cells) in the body.

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Why has my sense of smell intensified? ›

Hyperosmia is an overwhelming sensitivity to smells. There are many reasons behind this change in smell. Some include genetics, hormone changes, and migraines. ‌If you have hyperosmia, your taste may also be affected.

What illness causes a heightened sense of smell? ›

Hyperosmia is a common symptom of some autoimmune disorders. It can also occur when the kidneys do not work correctly, which can lead to Addison's disease, an adrenal gland disorder. Systemic lupus erythematosus also affects the sense of smell, primarily due to its impact on the nervous system.

See Details ›

Can menopause cause heightened sense of smell? ›

Altered sense of smell

During the perimenopause and menopause, you might find you can't smell things as keenly as you used to, this sense might be heightened or there may even be certain smells – such as perfumes and cleaning products – you just can't stand any more. This can then affect your sense of taste, too.

Why do I smell a weird smell all of a sudden? ›

It's a symptom of many common conditions, including allergies, colds and upper respiratory infections. It could also indicate a brain-related condition, including epilepsy, stroke or Alzheimer's disease. If you have phantom smells that last longer than a few weeks, schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider.

What autoimmune disease causes hyperosmia? ›

Hyperosmia is a common symptom of some autoimmune disorders. It can also occur when the kidneys do not work correctly, which can lead to Addison's disease, an adrenal gland disorder. Systemic lupus erythematosus also affects the sense of smell, primarily due to its impact on the nervous system.

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When does heightened sense of smell start in pregnancy? ›

And most women who do report more intense aromas say that it happens in the early stages of their pregnancy. Later in pregnancy, your sense of smell might actually decrease. That's because tissues around your body and in your nose swell with increased blood flow.

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