Can you imagine life without your sense of smell? To enjoy life to the fullest, your sense of smell must be in full working condition. Did you know that your sense of smell is also a warning system that alerts you to danger signals such as a gas leak, rotten food, or a fire? A loss in your sense of smell affects your quality of life in a huge way.
Even though the human sense of smell is insignificant compared to that of many animals, it is still very acute. We have the ability to recognise thousands of different smells, and we are able to detect odours even in infinitesimal quantities.
Many people who have smell disorders also notice problems with their sense of taste. The so-called taste-buds on our tongues can only distinguish four qualities – sweet, sour, bitter and salt -all other ‘tastes’ are detected by the olfactory receptors high up in our nasal passages.
As you age, your sense of smell may fade. Since your sense of smell is closely related to your sense of taste, when you can’t smell, food may taste bland. You may even lose interest in eating and this can result in a number of issues such as unhealthy weight loss, social isolation, malnutrition and depression. A loss of taste is often caused by medication, gum disease and alcohol consumption, among others.
Before going into what you must know about smell disorders, here are some fast facts about our sense of smell:
- A human has the ability to detect at least one trillion distinct scents.
- The sense of smell is the oldest sense.
- Vanilla, cinnamon, crayons, and cookies rank among the the most pleasant scents
- A loss of sense of smell can predict death within five years.
- Scent cells are renewed every 30 to 60 days.
- You can smell fear and disgust
- Women have a better sense of smell than men.
- Age-related loss of smell is linked to race
- Dogs have nearly 44 times more scent cells than humans
- Like fingerprints, every person has their own distinct odor.
If you or someone you love is dealing with a smell disorder, consider a Nose Job in Sydney.
