Olfactory hyposensitivity

Olfactory hyposensitivity is a form of sensory processing disorder characterized by being under sensitive to smells. It’s caused by the fact that our brain process information from the smell cells in a wrong way.

Let’s introduce few symptoms to understand it better.

If we are hyposensitive to smells, we simply don’t sense them us much as we should. We may not notice odors which are very unpleasant to others at all. In general, we have a hard time discrimination which smells are unpleasant and which are just fine. It can be sometimes even dangerous because we are able to eat spoiled food. That’s simply because we are unable to notice it’s spoiled according to its odor. However it’s important to realize that we constantly feel we don’t receive enough olfactory stimuli. Therefore we excessively smell everything around us, especially like kids. If we are introduced to new people we can find out first how they smell and decide if we like them or not according to it. We may prefer strong perfumes to feel at least something.

These are main symptoms of olfactory hyposensitivity. If you find yourself in them than there‘s a big chance you suffer from this disorder. It’s important to find out coping strategies which will help us to deal with this world better. We can buy above mentioned strong perfumes or aroma lamps with strong odor to fulfill our house with olfactory inputs. Also feel free to smell things around as much as we need. Surround ourselves with pleasant smells which will help us feeling something. Also learn how to recognize unpleasant odors, particularly that ones that are connected with spoiled food.

I don’t have olfactory hyposensitivity myself so I can’t provide personal experiences. However, the most important thing for you is to use your coping strategies whenever you need. It will help you to feel better in this world. Don't hesitate to do it whenever you want!

Do you have this condition? Do you know somebody who suffers from it? Would you like to ask some questions? If so, write as in the comment section bellow. Don’t forget, we’re here for you!