A change in your sense of smell can be unpleasant and affect how things taste. But it is not usually serious and may get better in a few weeks or months.
A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste could be coronavirus (COVID-19).
Changes in sense of smell are most often caused by:
These can cause:
It's also common to lose some of your sense of smell as you get older.
Rinsing the inside of your nose with a saltwater solution may help if your sense of smell is affected by an infection or allergy.
You can make a saltwater solution at home.
You do not need to use all of the solution, but make a fresh batch each day – do not reuse any left over from the day before.
Some pharmacies sell sachets you can use to make a saltwater solution and devices to help you rinse your nose.
Your sense of smell may go back to normal in a few weeks or months.
Treating the cause might help. For example, steroid nasal sprays or drops might help if you have sinusitis or nasal polyps.
A treatment called smell training can also help some people. To find out more about smell training, see:
Sometimes changes in sense of smell can not be treated and may be permanent.
If you have lost your sense of smell, you may not be able to smell things like gas leaks, fires and food that's gone off.
Fifth Sense has some safety advice if you have anosmia.