Regaining Smell and Taste After COVID Infection

How COVID-19 Impacts Smell and Taste

Loss of smell and taste has emerged as one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19. With the virus attacking olfactory receptors and altering crucial pathways, many experience bizarre distortions that make food seem unappealing or even intolerable.

Prevalence of Smell and Taste Loss with COVID

Studies estimate over half of coronavirus patients deal with anosmia - the medical term for loss of smell. Troubles detecting and identifying flavors frequently accompany the deficit too. These odd sensory symptoms typically arise early on and can persist weeks after initial infection.

The good news is smell and taste dysfunction from COVID often improves with time as the body recuperates. Understanding why it happens and employing at-home sensory rehab provides the best odds of faster recovery.

Why Does COVID Impact Smell and Taste?

When SARS-CoV-2 invades cells in the nasal cavity, inflammation swells tissues and mucus production goes haywire. Olfactory receptor neurons become damaged by both the direct viral attack and resulting immune response chaos. Their tiny hairs get bent and can't activate properly to transmit scents to the brain.

Without smell, which provides up to 90% of flavor perception, food tastes dull or strange. Respiratory droplets may also damage taste receptor cells on the tongue. Combined with congestion obstructing airflow, these effects create taste and smell dysfunction.

Coping With Smell and Taste Loss

Losing the ability to smell toast in the morning or taste the complexity of your favorite meal is hugely disruptive. When basic pleasures like eating become unpleasant, coping both physically and mentally makes recovering easier.

Seeking Medical Evaluation

While most smell loss with COVID-19 improves in weeks, some deficits last months or leave unusual distortions called parosmia. Seeking expert ENT evaluation helps identify the severity and possible treatments to aid recovery.

Depending on exam findings and duration of symptoms, options might include oral steroids to reduce inflammation or smell retraining therapy with essential oils. Discussing changes with your doctor is key.

Avoiding Potential Hazards

Smell helps alert us to dangers like gas leaks, smoke, and spoiled food. Take extra safety precautions by installing carbon monoxide and gas detectors and examining food carefully before eating. Sharp senses of sight and sound can help compensate too.

Seeking Social Support

Isolating to protect yourself from COVID can worsen depression. Combat loneliness and frustration over smell loss by joining online forums or support groups to share struggles and tactics. You dont have to cope alone.

Strategies to Help Regain Smell and Taste

Whether barely detecting your morning coffee or gagging at garlic that now smells like sewage, smell and taste distortions cause immense frustration. While these sensory neurons require time to fully mend, employing science-backed techniques speeds the process.

Smell Training

Just like strength training builds muscles, smell training aims to stimulate regeneration of olfactory neurons. Repeated exposure to strong scents can accelerate recovery by dialing up activity in damaged circuits.

Try sitting down twice daily with a set of four essential oils like rose, lemon, clove and eucalyptus. Close your eyes, focus intently on each scent for 20-30 seconds, and continue sniffing for a minute before moving to the next. Keeping a log also helps.

Staying Hydrated

Dehydration from fever, poor intake, and nasal congestion thickens mucus, further limiting airflow to olfactory tissues. Drink plenty of fluids and use saline nasal spray several times daily to help thin secretions.

Adding Zinc and Vitamins

Certain nutrients support tissue repair and new cell growth. When smell neurons need regeneration, ensuring adequate zinc, vitamins A and D, omega oils, and other compounds aids the process. A multivitamin helps fill any gaps.

Avoiding Irritants

Cigarette smoke, harsh chemicals in cleaners and air pollution cause inflammation shown to delay recovery. Steer clear of triggers that worsen nasal swelling to help damaged nerves mend faster.

Managing Parosmia and Phantosmia

While many COVID survivors slowly regain smell function, some battle lasting distortions called parosmia where scents smell "wrong." Coffee suddenly smells rotten or chocolate takes on a gasoline odor, for example. Phantosmia involves smelling things that aren't there.

Identifying Triggers

Parosmia often links certain scents to unpleasant perceptions unexpectedly. Keeping a log of exposures and symptoms helps identify patterns. For phantosmia, tracking when phantom smells arise can help too.

Masking Offending Odors

If coffee now gives you a headache because of its unpleasant smell distortion, experiment to find a way to make it tolerable. Pinch your nose as you sip or add milk and sweetener to overpower the bothersome aroma molecules.

Avoiding Scent Overload

Too much input overwhelms damaged smell pathways. Steer clear of strong perfumes, household cleaner odors and aromatic cooking. Take breaks outdoors for fresh air when indoor spaces feel overstimulating.

As smell circuits continue healing, parosmia often gradually resolves. But if symptoms persist beyond 6 months or cause significant appetite issues, medications or smell retraining may help rewire perceptions.

When Should I Worry About Lasting Loss?

While smell and taste dysfunction often resolves within 4-6 weeks of COVID-19 infection, recovery takes over a month for around 20% of people and months longer for some. If noticeable improvements havent happened within a few months, make an appointment with your doctor or an ear, nose and throat specialist.

Seeking Evaluation for Persistent Loss

A simple office smell test clarifies if true anosmia/ageusia persists versus distortions like parosmia. The expert can also rule out rare secondary causes of loss like nasal polyps. Discussing available therapies and aids ensures appropriate treatment sooner for long haulers.

Assessing Nutrition and Safety Risks

Sustained loss of smell and taste often leads people to overcompensate with salt, sugar and unhealthy fats. This drives up risk for weight gain and conditions like high blood pressure. Getting your diet reviewed ensures key nutrients arent lacking.

Inability to detect smoke or spoiled foods pose safety risks too. Occupational therapy evaluation helps implement alerts and routines to prevent harm.

Watching for Signs of Depression

Smell plays an underestimated role in emotional well-being. Losing that link to positive memories and ability to enjoy foods often precipitates depression. Mood changes, withdrawal from activities, or appetite shifts warrant discussion with your doctor.

Cautious Optimism for Recovery

Smell loss remains one of COVID-19's most common and infamous symptoms. But as frustrating as losing this crucial sensory ability feels, most people observe gradual improvement in their ability to detect odors over time.

Implementing smell training, hydrating well, avoiding irritants and stimulating your senses gently may help hasten the recovery process. Patience through the distortions remains key. If given time and support, most post-COVID noses eventually reawaken perhaps even with greater appreciation than before.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.