Olfactory fatigue

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Olfactory fatigue or adaptation is the temporary, normal inability to distinguish a particular odor after a prolonged exposure to that airborne compound^[1]. For example, when entering a restaurant the odor of food is often perceived as being very strong, but after time the 'smell' normally fades to the point where it is not perceptible or is much weaker. After leaving the area of high odor, the sensitivity is restored with time.

It is a commonly used term in wine tasting, where one loses the ability to smell and distinguish wine bouquet after sniffing at wine(s) continuously for an extended period of time.

The term is also used in the study of indoor air quality, for example, in the perception of odors from people, tobacco, and cleaning agents.

Olfactory fatigue is very similar to neural adaptation or sensory adaptation. Our bodies become desensitised to stimuli in order to prevent the over loading of our nervous system, thus allowing it to respond to new stimuli that is ‘out of the ordinary’