When Scent Fades
- Editorial Team
- Aug 20
- 6 min read
Updated: 20 hours ago
Written by the Editorial Team.
Smell dims so gradually that most women never register the loss. It carries real consequences for mood and appetite, it is worth paying attention to, and unlike most senses it can be trained back.
Nobody notices this happening. There is no moment of realisation, no equivalent of holding a menu further away. The world simply becomes slightly less vivid over a decade, and the change is attributed to the coffee, or the flowers, or nothing at all.
Olfactory decline is one of the most common and least discussed changes of midlife and beyond. It matters more than its low profile suggests, because smell is quietly connected to appetite, safety, memory and mood.
It is also, unusually among the senses, responsive to training. That combination, easy to miss and possible to improve, makes it worth a proper look.
A sense that fades without announcing itself is easy to lose and difficult to miss until it is largely gone.
What changes, and when
Olfactory function begins a slow decline in midlife and falls more steeply after sixty. The mechanisms are several: fewer receptor neurons, slower regeneration of the cells that detect odour, changes in the olfactory bulb, and the cumulative effect of infections, medications and nasal conditions across a lifetime.
Women generally retain the sense better and for longer than men, which is one of the more consistent findings in this literature. That advantage narrows with age rather than disappearing.
The menopause transition adds a variable. Reported changes in taste and smell during this period are common, though the research is thinner than for other symptoms and the picture is not fully resolved. Women who notice a shift in how food tastes during this time are describing something real, even if the mechanism is not yet well characterised.
Why it matters more than it seems
Most of what we experience as flavour is smell. A diminished sense of smell flattens food, which alters what people choose to eat and how much they enjoy it, and in older adults contributes to poor nutrition and unintended weight loss.
There are safety implications too: gas, smoke, spoiled food. These are the practical reasons clinicians take smell loss seriously.
The emotional dimension is the one most often overlooked. Rachel Herz's research at Brown University has documented that people who lose their sense of smell tend to experience a progressive decline in emotional health, and depression is markedly more common among those with significant olfactory loss. Because smell and emotion share the same neural territory, losing one affects the other.
Smell loss as a signal
This section requires care, because the information is genuinely useful and easily alarming.
A reduced sense of smell is associated in population studies with a raised risk of later cognitive decline, and it often appears years before other symptoms in some neurodegenerative conditions. It is also associated with higher all-cause mortality in older adults, which reflects its role as a general marker of health.
What that does not mean is that a woman in her forties noticing weaker smell is receiving a diagnosis. Association across a population is not prediction for an individual, and by far the most common causes of reduced smell are ordinary and often reversible: nasal congestion, allergies, sinus disease, nasal polyps, viral infection, smoking and certain medications.
The reasonable response is to have it assessed rather than to worry about it privately. Most causes are treatable, and identifying which one applies is a straightforward clinical matter.
The training that actually works
Here is the part that surprises people. The olfactory system retains an unusual capacity for regeneration, and it responds to deliberate stimulation.
Olfactory training was developed by Thomas Hummel and colleagues at the Technical University of Dresden and published in 2009. The protocol is deliberately simple: four distinct odours, traditionally rose, eucalyptus, lemon and clove, each sniffed for around twenty seconds, twice daily, over a period of at least twelve weeks.
The evidence has accumulated steadily since, and the approach became widely known during the pandemic when large numbers of people lost their sense of smell to viral infection. Systematic reviews support it as a low-risk intervention with meaningful benefit for many, though results vary and it does not work for everyone.
Consistency is what determines the outcome. Twice daily for three months is the tested protocol, and longer periods have shown further improvement. Several months is a serious commitment, and it costs almost nothing.
Keeping the sense you have
For women whose smell is intact, the same principle applies preventively. The olfactory system requires stimulation to maintain the brain regions it serves, and modern indoor life offers relatively little variety.
Introducing more range costs nothing. Cooking with whole spices rather than pre-ground, keeping fresh herbs, walking somewhere with actual plants in it, changing what is in a room from week to week. Paying attention while doing it appears to matter, since attention is part of what strengthens the pathway.
The overnight enrichment research points in the same direction, with variety rather than repetition doing the work. Whether that translates into cognitive protection in midlife is not yet established, and the practice is pleasant, free and without downside regardless.
When to seek help
Sudden loss of smell warrants prompt medical attention, as does loss accompanied by headache, visual change or neurological symptoms. Gradual loss that persists beyond a few weeks deserves assessment rather than waiting.
So does distorted smell, where familiar things smell wrong or unpleasant, which is a recognised condition with its own management. And any loss that is affecting appetite, weight or mood should be raised, because those consequences are treatable in their own right.
A general practitioner is the right starting point, and referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist is common. This article is educational and not a substitute for medical advice.
Paying attention to a quiet sense
Smell asks nothing of us and disappears without protest, which is exactly why it goes unnoticed. It carries a surprising amount of ordinary pleasure: coffee in the morning, rain on warm ground, a person you love.
Noticing what you can still smell, and doing something about it if the answer has changed, is a small act of attention toward a sense that has been quietly working on your behalf for decades. It is worth keeping.
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What's next
Start with 8 Ways Scent Shapes Mood, Memory and Focus, the foundation piece on how scent reaches the emotional brain.
Then explore our Aromachology collection for more evidence-based perspectives on scent and state.
For the wider picture on energy, sleep and hormones after 40, explore our Lifestyle Medicine for Women 40+ resource.
FAQ
Is it normal for smell to fade with age?
Some decline is common, beginning in midlife and becoming steeper after sixty, driven by fewer receptor neurons and slower cell regeneration. Women generally retain the sense longer than men. Noticeable loss is still worth assessing, since many causes are treatable.
Practical step: mention any change in your sense of smell at your next medical appointment.
What are the most common causes of reduced smell?
Nasal congestion, allergies, sinus disease, nasal polyps, viral infection, smoking and certain medications account for the majority. Most of these are ordinary and often reversible.
Practical step: have a clinician check for treatable nasal and sinus causes before assuming the change is permanent.
Does losing my sense of smell mean I will develop dementia?
No. Population studies link reduced smell with a raised risk of later cognitive decline, and association across a population is not prediction for an individual. Common, treatable causes are far more likely explanations.
Practical step: seek assessment for the cause rather than drawing conclusions about your future health.
Can a lost sense of smell be trained back?
Often, at least partly. Olfactory training, developed at the Technical University of Dresden, uses four distinct odours sniffed for around twenty seconds twice daily over at least twelve weeks. Reviews support it as low-risk with meaningful benefit for many people, though results vary.
Practical step: if you are training, commit to twice daily for a full three months before assessing progress.
Does smell loss affect mood?
Yes. Research has documented progressive decline in emotional health following olfactory loss, and depression is more common among those affected. Smell and emotion share the same neural territory, so a change in one influences the other.
Practical step: raise the emotional impact with a healthcare professional, as it is a recognised consequence rather than an overreaction.
When should I seek medical advice urgently?
Sudden loss of smell warrants prompt attention, particularly with headache, visual change or neurological symptoms. Persistent gradual loss, or smells becoming distorted or unpleasant, also deserves assessment. This article is educational and not a substitute for medical advice.
Practical step: contact a healthcare professional promptly if your sense of smell changes suddenly.
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