What should you know about COVID-19 smell recovery?

Smell often returns gradually after COVID-19, but recovery can be uneven and some smells may seem distorted while the sensory system heals. You might notice reduced smell, no smell, or parosmia, in which familiar odours smell unpleasant or different. Taste may also seem reduced because smell contributes strongly to flavour. Recovery time varies, so a slow improvement does not necessarily mean that recovery has stopped.

COVID-19 can affect the smell-sensing lining and the nerve pathways that carry odour information to the brain. As these pathways recover, signals may be incomplete or misread. That can make coffee, onions, meat, smoke, or cleaning products smell unusually strong, burnt, chemical, or rotten. A changed smell can affect appetite and make cooking or detecting smoke harder. Persistent loss or distortion may occur as part of Long COVID, but other causes such as nasal inflammation, congestion, medication effects, or another infection are also possible.

Loss of smell alone does not tell you how severe COVID-19 is. Consider the rest of your symptoms, including breathing difficulty, fever, cough, headache, fatigue, or feeling generally unwell.

Smell training is a commonly used self-care approach. Choose a small set of distinct, familiar scents, such as rose, lemon, clove, or eucalyptus. Smell each one gently for about twenty seconds while concentrating on what it used to smell like, then move to the next. Repeat twice daily for several months, recording small changes rather than expecting immediate results. Stop if a scent causes significant irritation or distress.

Keep food safe by checking dates and asking someone else to confirm whether food smells spoiled. Install working smoke alarms and avoid relying on smell to detect gas or burning. If foods taste unpleasant, try cool or room-temperature meals, varied textures, and seasonings that you tolerate. Do not put harsh chemicals inside your nose or use nasal treatments without checking that they are suitable for you.

Arrange a medical review if your smell has not started improving after several weeks, remains altered enough to affect eating or daily safety, or changes after you seemed to recover. A clinician can examine your nose, review medicines, assess related symptoms, and decide whether specialist assessment is appropriate. Seek urgent help for severe trouble breathing, new confusion, blue or grey lips, inability to stay awake, or sudden neurological symptoms.

Contact a clinician promptly if smell loss occurs with persistent high fever, worsening cough, chest pain, or marked weakness. These symptoms may need assessment for COVID-19 complications such as pneumonia rather than being explained by smell changes alone.

Ask whether your pattern fits post-viral smell loss, whether congestion or another condition could be contributing, and whether smell training is suitable. Tell the clinician when the change began, whether it is improving or distorted, which smells trigger it, how it affects food intake, and whether you have nasal symptoms, headaches, fever, cough, or breathing problems.