Blocked nose and loss of smell: what should you know?

Swollen nasal lining or mucus can stop air carrying scent molecules to the upper part of the nose. Allergic rhinitis, a common cold, sinusitis, and chronic sinusitis can all produce this combination. Reduced smell may also alter taste, appetite, and the ability to notice smoke or spoiled food. If the nose is clear but smell remains absent, or if the change follows a head injury, the cause may need a closer examination. The symptom pattern does not by itself identify a particular condition.

Use saline spray or a correctly prepared saline rinse to clear mucus, and avoid smoke and irritating scents. Label food clearly and check its freshness by date and storage rather than smell while your sense of smell is reduced. Do not put objects or unprescribed medicines into the nose. A clinician or pharmacist can advise whether allergy medication is appropriate when sneezing and itching are present.

Arrange medical advice if smell does not return as congestion improves, keeps worsening, or is accompanied by persistent facial pain, recurrent nosebleeds, or one-sided blockage. Seek urgent help after a head injury with worsening headache, confusion, weakness, or clear fluid from the nose, or for serious breathing difficulty. Discuss sleep symptoms such as gasping or marked daytime sleepiness.

Ask whether your nose needs examination, whether sinus inflammation or allergy is contributing, and how to use saline or other treatment safely. Tell the clinician when smell changed, whether taste changed too, and whether the loss is on one side or both.