One of the first symptoms of the coronavirus is losing smell and taste. It gives us a heads up about having the disease. Here, let’s find out how to get taste and smell back after COVID.
You need to understand that smell and taste might not return until you test negative. But, unfortunately, millions of people continue to have this symptom even after testing negative.
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Did you lose your taste and smell?
The loss of taste and smell is known as anosmia. And if you have that problem right now, you need to get yourself tested immediately.
You may not even notice in the beginning. Only a day or two later (from testing positive), you might realize the importance of what you’ve been missing; the value of your sense organs! By then, your foods will taste bland. And you’ll know you are infected.
Doctors often recommend this period as the perfect time when you should consider getting tested.
How to get taste and smell back after COVID
From the time you lose your sense of smell until you regain it, your life can be a mess!
Even though a symptom of a relevant disease, the lack of smell can infuriate you. Furthermore, the amount of time needed to regain the sense of smell may vary from person to person.
Nothing seems to pull you to the kitchen, even if your cook is preparing your favorite food!
How to regain sense of smell after COVID?
Here are a few tips that will help you regain your smell after COVID. These are:
- Biting into blackened oranges or onions. Although this sounds weird, it can trigger your senses.
- Olfactory training can channelize new nervous pathways. Easy to perform, these exercises can train your brain to help your body create new ways to recover the ability to smell. A simple trick involves smelling at least four different scents each day for 20 seconds.
- The use of certain supplements such as Vitamin A and Alpha-lipoic acid can aid in the restoration of the sense of smell.
- Constantly smelling items such as chocolates, coffee, perfumes, citrus fruits, and essential oils is a good idea. Data has shown that these smells have triggered and aided in the speedy recovery of many patients.
How to get sense of taste back?
Once you regain your sense of smell, you don’t need to do much to get back your sense of taste. Often it follows the former.
However, there are a few tips that you may try to make yourself feel a little better. These are:
- Making sure your plate has a lot of colors. Choose foods with multiple colors and give yourself a treat. Although you may not taste them yet, you will feel amazing!
- Use herbs and spices that have a strong flavor and smell. For example, cardamom, ginger, sage, pepper, rosemary, etc.
- Add a side of cheese, browned nuts, bacon, and olive oil. They might act as a trigger to your taste buds.
- Avoid foods that contain a lot of ingredients. Too many flavors may be unable to trigger your taste buds.
Catching a disease is fast, but recovery isn’t. So although you may feel frustrated with the loss of your senses, don’t give up. Soon you’ll be able to smell fresh roses and savor your lasagna like never before.