How long does smell go away when sick?: Understanding Your Recovery Timeline

October 1, 2025 •

4 min read

Anosmia, the loss of smell, affects approximately 3% of people over 40 and is a common symptom of various illnesses. Understanding the recovery timeline for this condition can be reassuring for those asking, 'How long does smell go away when sick?', and help them navigate the healing process.

Quick Summary

The duration of smell loss after an illness varies depending on the cause, from a few days for a simple cold to several months for some viral infections. Recovery is often spontaneous, though treatments like smell training can help. Consulting a healthcare provider is recommended for persistent or sudden, unexplained symptoms.

Key Points

Timeline Varies by Illness: Smell loss from a common cold typically resolves in a week or two, while cases from COVID-19 can persist for months or longer due to different mechanisms of action.
Viruses Attack Olfactory Cells: Some viruses can cause long-term anosmia by damaging the olfactory sensory neurons or their supporting cells, while congestion-based smell loss is usually temporary.
Smell Training Aids Recovery: Olfactory training, which involves regularly sniffing strong scents like essential oils, is a well-regarded method to help retrain the nervous system and promote recovery.
Watch for Parosmia: Some people experience parosmia—a distorted sense of smell—after an illness, which can also last for months but often indicates that the olfactory system is in the process of healing.
Seek Medical Advice for Lingering Symptoms: If your sense of smell doesn't return after a few weeks, or if the loss was sudden and unexplained, consult an ENT specialist to rule out other potential causes.
Prioritize Safety at Home: Living without a sense of smell requires extra safety precautions, such as having functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and checking food expiration dates carefully.

Losing your sense of smell, or anosmia, is a common and often distressing symptom of being sick. While it is frequently associated with nasal congestion from a cold, it can also result from more direct damage to the olfactory system caused by certain viruses, including COVID-19. The recovery timeline can differ significantly based on the underlying cause, ranging from a quick return to a much longer journey involving smell training and medical guidance.

The Typical Timeline for Smell Recovery

For a regular cold or sinus infection, the loss of smell is typically temporary. The blockage is caused by mucus and inflammation, preventing odor molecules from reaching the nerve endings deep inside the nasal cavity. As the congestion clears, the sense of smell usually returns within a few days to two weeks.

However, other viral infections, and specifically COVID-19, can lead to more prolonged issues with smell. In these cases, the virus can attack the cells that support the olfactory nerves, or in more severe instances, the nerves themselves.

Factors Affecting Your Recovery Time

Several factors can influence how long it takes for your sense of smell to return to normal:

Type of illness: The specific virus or infection plays a major role. While a common cold's effect is typically short-lived, post-viral anosmia from other infections can last for months or even years.
Severity of nerve damage: If the illness causes inflammation that directly damages the olfactory sensory neurons, it can lead to longer-lasting or even permanent anosmia. COVID-19, for example, is thought to damage supporting cells, which may regenerate faster than the neurons themselves.
Individual differences: Not everyone recovers at the same pace. Younger individuals and those with milder infections may experience faster recovery than older patients or those with more severe symptoms.
Co-existing conditions: Other issues like nasal polyps, chronic sinusitis, or head trauma can also impact olfactory function and complicate recovery.

Viral-Induced Smell Loss vs. COVID-19 Smell Loss

It can be helpful to distinguish between the temporary anosmia caused by common viral infections and the more persistent smell loss often linked to COVID-19. This comparison highlights why recovery timelines differ.


Feature	Common Viral Infection (e.g., Cold)	COVID-19
Cause of Smell Loss	Nasal congestion and inflammation block odor molecules from reaching nerves.	The SARS-CoV-2 virus attacks supporting cells for olfactory nerves, triggering an inflammatory response.
Timing of Smell Loss	Usually develops alongside other cold symptoms (congestion, runny nose).	Often one of the earliest signs of infection, sometimes appearing before other symptoms.
Typical Duration	A few days to a couple of weeks, resolves as congestion clears.	For many, it resolves within a month. For some, it can persist for months or over a year.
Associated Issues	May lead to a reduced sense of taste.	Can lead to parosmia (distorted smells) or phantosmia (phantom smells) as recovery progresses.
Underlying Mechanism	A temporary barrier prevents smell perception.	Cellular and neural damage requiring regeneration.

How to Help Your Sense of Smell Recover

For persistent smell loss, proactive steps can help stimulate the olfactory system and encourage recovery. The most widely recommended method is olfactory training.

Olfactory Training Steps

Gather your scents: You'll need four distinct, strong smells. Common recommendations include essential oils of rose, eucalyptus, lemon, and clove, as these represent different scent categories. Spices or herbs can also work.
Practice daily: Sniff each scent for about 20 seconds, concentrating and remembering what it used to smell like. Take a short break (about 10 seconds) between each scent.
Establish a routine: Perform this exercise twice a day for a minimum of 12 weeks. Consistency is key.
Rotate scents: After a few months, you can switch to a new set of odors to continue challenging your olfactory nerves.

Other Potential Treatments

Nasal steroids: Your doctor may prescribe a nasal steroid spray or rinse to reduce any lingering inflammation in the nasal passages.
Medical evaluation: In some cases, an underlying condition like a sinus infection or nasal polyps may be prolonging the issue. An ENT specialist can conduct a nasal endoscopy or CT scan to investigate.

When to See a Doctor for Persistent Smell Loss

While smell loss from a common cold is rarely cause for alarm, it's important to know when to seek professional medical advice. Consult a healthcare provider if:

Your sense of smell doesn't return after a couple of weeks, even after other illness symptoms have cleared.
You experience a sudden and unexplained loss of smell, without a cold or flu.
The loss of smell is accompanied by other unusual symptoms.
Your sense of smell becomes distorted (parosmia) or you experience phantom smells (phantosmia).

Living with a Long-Term Change in Smell

For some, the change in smell may persist for a longer duration, affecting quality of life. This can impact appetite, mood, and safety. A long-term loss of smell requires increased vigilance for safety hazards.

Safety Precautions for Anosmia

Install smoke alarms with fresh batteries on every floor of your home and test them regularly.
Use carbon monoxide detectors near sleeping areas.
Always check food expiration dates carefully to avoid consuming spoiled items.
Use caution with gas stoves and appliances, ensuring they are properly turned off after use.

Emotional and Lifestyle Adjustments

It's also important to address the emotional and social impact of smell loss. Sharing your experience with friends and family can help them understand. Some people benefit from counseling to develop coping mechanisms and deal with the frustration or anxiety that can arise.

Conclusion

While the answer to how long does smell go away when sick varies, most cases resolve on their own in a matter of weeks, especially with common colds. For more severe viral illnesses like COVID-19, recovery can be more prolonged. Staying proactive with treatments like olfactory training and seeking medical help for persistent issues can lead to better outcomes. Most importantly, remain patient with your body's healing process and take necessary safety precautions while your sense of smell recovers.

For more information on the physiology of olfactory training, a detailed resource is available on the NCBI Bookshelf.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, it is very common to lose your sense of smell when sick, especially with a cold or flu. This is usually due to nasal inflammation and congestion blocking the nasal passages.

Olfactory training should be performed for a minimum of 12 weeks to see improvements, with some people requiring longer. Consistency is key, with the exercise performed twice daily.

While it's possible, permanent anosmia from a viral illness is less common. In most cases, recovery occurs over time, though it may take a year or more. A healthcare provider can provide a more accurate assessment.

Parosmia is a distorted sense of smell that can occur after an illness, often appearing a few months into recovery. For COVID-19, it can last for several months, with most cases resolving over time.

Yes, for a cold, smell loss is typically due to congestion and is temporary. For COVID-19, the virus can attack the olfactory system's cells directly, leading to a potentially longer recovery period.

You should see a doctor if your sense of smell doesn't return after a couple of weeks, if the loss was sudden and not related to a typical cold, or if you experience any other unusual symptoms.

Yes, the inability to smell can be dangerous. It impairs your ability to detect critical threats like smoke from a fire, gas leaks, or spoiled food.