It turns out that the cause of this strange phenomenon comes from our own nose.
Have you ever found yourself smelling an extremely unpleasant smell, like burning or rancid milk, but looking around, everything is very clean, not smelly at all?
If so, you’re probably experiencing phantom odorperception, which is quite common these days.
Women experience this phenomenon more often than men.
A study by the American Academy of Nutrition and Health (NHAES) with about 7,300 volunteers was carried out between 2011 and 2014. The study asked the survey question: “Have you ever had a sense of smell? something smells really bad, but is there nothing around?”
As a result, people who answered “yes” accounted for quite a bit. Among these people, women and people over the age of 40 make up an overwhelming number.
Kathleen Bainbridge, an epidemiologist at the American Academy of Nutrition and Health said. “Spontaneously smelling bad odors may be related to overactivity of the olfactory cells . This causes the signal to be transmitted to our brain somewhat wrong.”
Also according to Bainbrigde, several theories about the cause have been put forward. Among them are the head trauma, dry mouth or the person’s low socioeconomic class .
This phenomenon is related to the overactivity of the olfactory cells.
Regarding economic reasons, Bainbrigde specifically argues that financial constraints make people with excessive taste sensitivities not in good health. This leads to problems related to the sense of smell later on without realizing it.
“We need to fully understand this pathological condition first. From here, finding the cause and preventing it is the next step to treat the patient,” added Bainbrigde.
It will take some time for us to get an official answer on this matter. However, if you accidentally experience such discomfort, do not hesitate to make an appointment with your doctor. Because who knows, they will have a way to help you temporarily get through this unpleasant experience.