“Nose Training” Trick Supercharges Your Memory

By Dr. Scott Olson, ND Posted November 16, 2023

It happens in an instant.

You smell fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies, and a memory of baking with your mother in your childhood home is triggered.

Our sense of smell and our memory are closely intertwined. In fact, the scents that surround us play a role in how our brains encode and store memories.

And it turns out you can HACK that connection to SUPERCHARGE your memory…

When we smell something, the odor molecules attach to receptors in our nose. Those receptors send signals to the limbic system and hippocampus through the olfactory nerve.

These are critical parts of the brain for processing feelings and turning short-term memories into long-term ones. And that’s where things get wild.

Because, as bizarre as it sounds, improving your sense of smell can ALSO boost your memory.

You can train your nose with smell exercises using different scent cues to improve your odor recall, trigger your brain to store more smells, and create new connections.

This “nose training” strengthens the neural circuits, priming them to improve your memory.

Here’s how…

• “Exercise” your nose DAILY. Gather items with distinctive odors, such as flowers, bites of food, spices, or essential oils. Then, with your eyes closed, mix them up and smell each carefully. Try to identify each one and commit the scent to memory. (This works even better if you have a friend to help.) The neurons that allow you to recognize aromas will grow and strengthen as you try to figure out what you’re smelling.
• Switch up your routines. You can exercise your nose by exposing it to new things like the smell of exotic foods, botanical gardens, or a variety of essential oils. Regularly experiencing unfamiliar scents will keep your sense of smell sharp and produce NEW memories.
• Don’t smoke or breathe in second-hand smoke. Exposing the olfactory tissues in your nose to smoke hampers the production of sensory cells. When that happens, your ability to smell and recognize scents plummets.
• If you have chronic allergies, sinusitis, or nose polyps that interfere with your sense of smell, talk with your doctor about treating and resolving these issues. In some cases, supplements such as quercetin and vitamin C may be helpful.
• Beware of drug side effects. Antihistamines, for example, are part of a class of drugs called anticholinergics, which can interfere with your sense of smell and harm memory. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medications with you.

When you follow these steps to support and stimulate your olfactory system, you’ll keep these pathways busy and connected to the parts of your brain that are in charge of memory and thinking.

And, of course, as always, take good care of your brain and entire nervous system by getting enough quality sleep, resolving stress, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy, antioxidant-rich diet.

P.S. Natural solution beats allergies WITHOUT shots!

Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND

Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.

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