How to Smell Better With Your Nose

Your sense of smell is directly tied your sense of pleasure. A whiff of fragrance can take you back to a special moment, improve your mood, help you relax or give you energy. Cigarettes, alcohol, dry weather and the sniffles all prevent us from smelling optimally with our noses. But by counteracting these elements and making a few more positive changes, you can improve your sense of smell.

An added bonus: since your nose and mouth are connected in the back of your throat, improving your sense of smell will also improve your sense of taste.

Things You'll Need

• Zinc supplemental vitamins
• Sunflower seeds, lentils, pecans or oysters.
• Saline nasal spray
• Roasted coffee beans
• Small bowl
• Humidifier

Instructions

1. Boost your body's zinc levels with mineral supplements or zinc-rich foods such as sunflower seeds, lentils, pecans and oysters. Hyposmia, or decreased sense of smell, can be caused by a zinc deficiency.

2. Clean excess mucus out of your nose with a saline spray. Mucus prevents us from inhaling dust and other harmful particles, but too much of it can also keep us from inhaling our favorite scents. Use your spray according to package directions.

3. Pour a handful of roasted coffee beans in a small bowl and take a deep whiff. Like a palate cleanser served between courses of a meal, the strong coffee aroma "cleanses" your sense of smell and allows you to smell other things more acutely. Perfume shops often have tins of coffee beans for customers to sniff as they test different fragrances.

4. Exercise for 10-30 minutes. Among other health benefits, exercise improves blood flow and increases clean (non-mucus) moisture in the nose, which will allow you to smell better.

5. Humidify your home's air, especially in the winter. A dried-out nose doesn't smell as well as a moisturized one.

6. Cut back on alcohol. Your sense of smell decreases as blood alcohol levels rise.

7. Cut back on cigarettes; better yet, quit altogether. Cigarettes damage the delicate nerve fibers in the back of your nose and dull your sense of smell, in addition to causing all the other health problems associated with smoking.

Tips & Warnings

• Consult your doctor before taking any vitamin or mineral supplements.

References

• Reader's Digest Version: Sharpen Your Sense of Smell and Taste
• Dr. Briffa's Blog: A dulled sense of smell is a common problem - what natural approaches are there for this condition?
• Dark Bean: Coffee Beans Remove Odors