Lost Sense Of Smell After Swimming

I had a question about my lost sense of smell after swimming for a long time.

I enjoy swimming as much as possible, and for some reason, I seem to enjoy going from a backward lying float into pulling myself underwater while still being face up. Of course, as soon as I do this, my nose fills with water and slightly stings. Is there any danger to doing this quite often when in a pool?

I'm asking because I noticed that whenever I do this after I come out of the pool, it takes several hours for my nose to regain the full sense of smell again. Am I burning out my sense of smell by doing this?

First and foremost, you are not burning away your sense of smell. The human sense of smell is controlled by synapsis in the brain, and although it is possible to lose one's sense of smell, once it is lost, it usually does not return.

The loss of sense of smell that you are experiencing is most likely due to water entering your nasal cavity and causing a blockage. That blockage prevents odours from entering typically into the nasal passage and, therefore, not allowing the brain to process them. After a time, the water and the blockage clear and your sense of smell returns to normal.

Have you ever tried preventing the water from entering your nose in the first place? Especially as you enjoy submerging from a supine position in the water, and it is causing you some discomfort!

Depending on how long you spend submerged in this position, you will need to breathe again at some point. Try exhaling through your nose as you resurface. This will expel any water from your nose and potentially reduce or even prevent blockages from occurring.

Failing that, a good old-fashioned nose clip will do the job of preventing water from entering your nose in the first place.

I hope you find this information helpful, and I wish you every success with your swimming.

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