Why am I sensitive to smells?

Symptoms:

Smells and tastes seem sharper than before, you’ve missed a period and your breasts are feeling sore. You have a heightened sensitivity to smells and you suffer from bad headaches, though your sensitivity to smells isn’t confined to just to these attacks.

You’ve noticed you have a heightened sense of smell just after having had a bad attack of flu where your whole body ached. You live near woods and take your dog for a walk there. It could be:

Pregnancy, an early symptom of which is a heightened sense of smell and it can trigger headaches, nausea and vomiting during the first trimester. Symptoms often fade as pregnancy progresses.

Migraine, which can cause and be caused by heightened sensitivity to smells (hyperosmia). Certain smells can trigger migraine or make you susceptible to having a migraine attack.

Lyme disease which is often associated with hyperosmia, with as many as half of sufferers having it. Lyme disease is an infection carried by ticks which are common in woodland, particularly where deer are found. Stop it:

Avoid trigger smells such as coffee, frying fat and other cooking odours. Eat mainly fresh food. As smells can make your migraine worse, avoid scents, perfumes and fresheners around the house. Try to avoid your trigger smells.

If you think you might have been exposed to Lyme disease talk to your doctor about being tested. And find another place to walk your dog.