Oct 23, 2024 04:06 PM
https://www.popsci.com/health/no-sense-o...fferently/
EXCERPTS: Your ability to smell dictates the way you breathe, per the study published October 22 in the journal Nature Communications. Respiratory differences between smellers and non-smellers could have important implications for both physical and mental health, suggest the authors, all scientists within the Olfaction Research Group at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot.
[...] Past work has hinted that odors could impact respiration. In one prior study, scientists observed that exposure to unpleasant smells reduces peoples’ inhalation volume and can distract from a memory task. In another, researchers found that people who can smell modulate inhales in response to potentially irritating stinks. But the new research is unique for analyzing detailed data, collected over a full day and not just a single, brief exposure experiment. “From my knowledge of the literature, this is the first time that this has ever been done, particularly at this level of precision,” says Danielle Reed, Chief Science Officer at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a nonprofit research institution, in Philadelphia.
[...] lots of people who lose their sense of smell do report a significant decline in the quality of their life, attributed specific to their newfound anosmia–citing things like dietary changes, depression and dulled emotions, and social isolation. Breathing is obviously critical for survival, as our bodies need oxygen coming in and carbon dioxide moving out. Subtle shifts in how one breathes are well-known to affect things like heart rate and even mood and stress level. Therefore, the study authors suggest that olfaction-related differences in respiration could be related to the known, negative health impacts of smell loss. “Shifted respiratory patterns, and particularly nasal airflow patterns, may have an impact on physiological and mental health,” they write... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: Your ability to smell dictates the way you breathe, per the study published October 22 in the journal Nature Communications. Respiratory differences between smellers and non-smellers could have important implications for both physical and mental health, suggest the authors, all scientists within the Olfaction Research Group at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot.
[...] Past work has hinted that odors could impact respiration. In one prior study, scientists observed that exposure to unpleasant smells reduces peoples’ inhalation volume and can distract from a memory task. In another, researchers found that people who can smell modulate inhales in response to potentially irritating stinks. But the new research is unique for analyzing detailed data, collected over a full day and not just a single, brief exposure experiment. “From my knowledge of the literature, this is the first time that this has ever been done, particularly at this level of precision,” says Danielle Reed, Chief Science Officer at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a nonprofit research institution, in Philadelphia.
[...] lots of people who lose their sense of smell do report a significant decline in the quality of their life, attributed specific to their newfound anosmia–citing things like dietary changes, depression and dulled emotions, and social isolation. Breathing is obviously critical for survival, as our bodies need oxygen coming in and carbon dioxide moving out. Subtle shifts in how one breathes are well-known to affect things like heart rate and even mood and stress level. Therefore, the study authors suggest that olfaction-related differences in respiration could be related to the known, negative health impacts of smell loss. “Shifted respiratory patterns, and particularly nasal airflow patterns, may have an impact on physiological and mental health,” they write... (MORE - missing details)