Where there’s smoke …

I discovered the most fascinating thing this week.

My stress levels were sky-high on Wednesday and I noted to DD as we sipped a glass of wine together on his deck that I could smell woodsmoke.

He assured me there was no woodsmoke.

I told him that I often smell burnt toast or woodsmoke when I am fairly sure there is none. It fills my nostrils and I find it quite offputting.

It started happening after my first bout of COVID and I read somewhere that it might be related to that. But it has hung around for years and comes and goes.

DD suggested it might be caused by stress. So I Googled it and … wow!

What I am experiencing is called phantosmia.

Phantosmia is an olfactory hallucination that makes you detect smells that aren’t really there in your environment.

The smells vary between individuals but are usually unpleasant, such as burnt toast, metallic or chemical smells.

It can be caused by stress, but may also be a sign of nose polyps or conditions of the nervous system or brain, including migraine, stroke or schizophrenia.

I’m going to stick with it being a sign of stress … so I don’t get even more stressed …

So why does stress cause the phantom smell?

According to Dr Google, anxious behaviour, such as worry, activates the stress response, causing changes that prepare the body for emergency action.

Part of the stress response changes include slowing saliva production and heightening the body’s senses, including the sense of smell. The body does this so that we are more able to quickly detect a threat should one be present.

Since smells come from two pathways – the nostrils, and a channel that connects the roof of the throat to the nose – reduced saliva and an altered sense of smell can cause odd and phantom smells when the stress response is active.

The higher the degree of the stress response, the more dramatic the changes.

Go figure, so weird!

I am going to keep an eye on it and check my stress levels next time I smell burnt toast.

Lots of other crazy stuff happened yesterday, but I’ve spent too much time talking about phantosmia. My tales of flared left hip issues and mad dashes to margarita parties will have to wait until another time.

Have a great weekend.

Song of the day: Nirvana “Smells like teen spirit”