Hyperosmia is when you have an intense sensitivity to smells. It’s relatively rare and hard to diagnose. You can have it all the time or just sometimes. It may be linked to your genetics, hormone changes, or certain medical conditions.
Hyperosmia may also affect your taste. That’s because your taste and smell are connected by your olfactory system. The increased sense of smell can make flavors more intense. Your olfactory area, located in your nose, is where scent travels before it passes into your throat. When you’re smelling strong scents that create a taste in your throat, you may feel nauseated.
What Causes Hyperosmia?
Hyperosmia can be temporary and minor, or have lasting effects and signal a more serious condition. Common causes include:
Pregnancy. During your pregnancy, you may have changes in your senses of smell and taste. This change will typically happen in your first few months of pregnancy. Certain foods and smells may become unbearable to you and even make you extremely nauseated.
Migraine. Hyperosmia can happen when you get a migraine attack. You will have this heightened sense of smell during the headache phase of your migraine.
Neurological conditions. Seizures that come from the middle of your temporal lobe — the part of your brain that stores memories — can give you a false sense of strong odors. This is considered an olfactory hallucination. These smells are a sign that you’re about to have a seizure.
Autoimmune diseases. There’s a connection between autoimmune disorders and changes to your olfactory system (sense of smell). Environmental and hereditary factors can affect your olfactory receptors.
What’s the Impact of Hyperosmia on Your Health?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by smells and tastes due to hyperosmia, it can affect your day-to-day life. You may stop eating certain foods or avoid certain things that have a strong odor. If you’re not pregnant or if your symptoms last a long time, talk to your doctor to find out if you have an underlying condition. It could mean a more serious neurological disorder.
If your hyperosmia doesn’t go away, see an ear, nose, and throat specialist (ENT) to determine the right treatment.
What’s the Treatment for Hyperosmia?
Before your doctor prescribes a treatment for you, they’ll need to run tests to make a diagnosis. These tests could include:
- Scratch and sniff test
- Sip, spit, and rinse test
- CT scan
- MRI scan
- Endoscopy
After finding the root cause of your hyperosmia, your ENT specialist may prescribe a few different treatments. These include antibiotics if you’re dealing with an infection. If you smoke, they’ll suggest you stop. You might need to address dental hygiene problems that could cause gingivitis. They may also suggest sinus surgery.
In most cases of hyperosmia, the heightened sense of smell is temporary. If you’re pregnant, this condition typically doesn’t last past the first trimester.
What are Management Strategies for Hyperosmia?
If your smell sensitivity is caused by an underlying medical condition, the condition must be managed by doctors who specialize in treating it. Also, your smell sensitivity symptoms can be treated with these supportive measures:
Saline sprays and washes. These help keep your nasal passages healthy and moist.
Nausea medications. If your smell sensitivity causes nausea, these can help you feel better.
Facial mask. This can help lessen strong odors.
Gum or candy. These can help cover up irritating smells.
When Should You Seek Medical Advice?
If you think you may have hyperosmia, your first step is to see an ENT specialist. This is important to rule out serious underlying causes such as multiple sclerosis (MS), tumors, allergies, polyps, diabetes, Addison’s disease, and other medical conditions. Your doctor may want to do imaging tests such as an MRI or CT scan, or an endoscopy. Hyperosmia doesn’t always require treatment.
Takeaways
Hyperosmia is a relatively rare condition where you have an overwhelming sensitivity to smells. You may have it all the time or just sometimes. Doctors don’t know what causes it, and it doesn’t always require treatment. But it may be connected to an underlying medical condition, ranging from allergies to something more serious like MS. See a doctor right away if you think you may have hyperosmia.
Hyperosmia FAQs
How does hyperosmia affect phasmophobia?
Hyperosmia is sensitivity to smells. Phasmophobia is a fear of ghosts. Smells and scents may play a role in triggering a fear or awareness of ghosts in some people.
Can you cure hyperosmia?
It depends. There are no medications for treating hyperosmia, but treating any underlying causes may make it better or go away entirely.
Is hyperosmia a sign of a serious underlying condition?
Possibly. Your hypersomia may be caused by something temporary (such as pregnancy), something longer lasting and mild (such as minor allergies), or something serious (such as MS). Your hyperosmia may not need treatment, depending on its severity and cause.
