Most smokers know that smoking impairs their sense of smell and taste buds, the thing is you don’t really appreciate how much until you quit!

I always knew it was an issue, but I didn’t realise until I quit what an impact it has, how much tastiness you are missing out on, and of course the smells (both good and bad).

In our article on Recovery Times – After your Last Cigarette, you can see taste and smell will increase about 48 hours after your last cigarette.

There really is a noticeable difference.

Tobacco smoking is the most concentrated form of pollution that most people will ever be exposed to. It impairs the ability to identify odors and diminishes the sense of taste. Quitting smoking improves the smell function.

If you smoke cigarettes, your sense of smell may not be as good as it should be. Smokers have more trouble identifying odors than nonsmokers do, and about twice as many smokers as nonsmokers have a reduced sense of smell. Smoking affects the sense of smell in both young people and older ones.

The sense of smell is more important than you may realize. Much of the flavor of food actually comes from its smell, rather than its taste. People who can’t smell don’t enjoy their food as much as other people do. The sense of smell is also important for safety. For example, people with an impaired sense of smell would be less able to detect the odor that is added to natural gas (the kind of gas used in gas stoves) to alert people to gas leaks.

You also can’t smell the lovely Malaysian sewer smell and your colleagues farts…but well you have to live with those when you get your smell back!