Heightened Smell / Smelling Bad Things

Hello. My name is Jim and I have been using a CPAP machine for about 3 months now. It has made an amazing difference in the amount of sleep I get, and I no longer wake up with a constant headache. No more snoring either (the wife loves that). But I have a weird side effect. Everywhere I go, I seem to have gained a superhuman sense of smell. I can smell everything. And worst of all, everything suddenly smells like feet. Thinking it was me, I started using all of these foot odor products, sprays, etc... but the smell doesn't go away. I've even asked several people to smell my feet to see if they stink (Don't worry, they were all relatives and friends.. I didn't randomly walk around the streets looking for people to smell my feet). Everyone said my feet, and nothing else, smelled on me. So where the hell is this feet smell coming from? I smell it at work, at home, in the truck, random stores... and only at certain times of day... usually afternoon into early evening... Anyone have a similar experience?

Nope.

How are your sinuses?

Interesting. There have been a couple threads about smelling things when first taking the mask off, but not throughout the day. It would not surprise me, CPAP is messing with anything that involves breathing and smelling. I can't see how an infection would only be noticed in the afternoon, but I am not a Doctor. What else is going on when you can smell this? Afternoon tired? Hungry? winding down from the day activity? Nice thing about smells is that we tend to just get used to them.

Hi - smell is one of those things that means a lot to neurologists - there's more to it than we think, it signifies things to them we don't realize and I personally would make an appointment to talk to one if at all possible, though I'm not suggesting there's anything dire going on.

My sinuses actually have never been better. Filling my nose with clean, filtered, humidified air every night has eradicated the sinus infections I always used to get. Maybe I'm finally smelling the world as it really is after all these years... blech... but I will mention it to my doctor...

I totally agree with Julie.
Don't wait for a regular appointment; make an appointment soon, and mention the smell thing to scheduling person.

I started having the same issue about 1 month ago... I've been using my bipap machine on a regular basis for about 1.5 years. Upon waking I'm smelling like a bad foot odor (corn chips). I change my water nightly, I even went and got another gallon of distilled water. There is no odor in my room or my apartment. Baffled and bewildered...

Suge

You could (not saying you do of course) have a gastric issue that's causing the problem (if not a dental issue) so should be checked out.

You also need to GO TO YOUR DOCTOR.
There are many possible causes for this, but some require IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION.
Please let us know how it works out.

Suge wrote:I started having the same issue about 1 month ago... I've been using my bipap machine on a regular basis for about 1.5 years. Upon waking I'm smelling like a bad foot odor (corn chips). I change my water nightly, I even went and got another gallon of distilled water. There is no odor in my room or my apartment. Baffled and bewildered...

Suge

Ok, I found something... I recently purchased a humidifier, the smell started not to long after I started using it (didn't tie them together). I recently lost a part to the humidifier for it to work properly. In the time I stop using the aforementioned (approx. 3 days) humidifier, the smell has significantly went or stopped altogether. I am going to start back to using to see if the odor returns.. I think it will...

What a relief!
We'd hate to think you had a stroke.
(A stroke can affect senses)

I have had odd smelling issues too, though, not feet. I mentioned it to my doctor and there seems to be no real problem. It seems to run in my family. Of course, I don't have headaches, dizziness, or other troubling symptoms.

I have researched this odd phenomena online and there are many people who suffer with this thing. Sometimes, it's caused by stress and anxiety. Others report it's from sinus, tooth or gum infection. Of course, checking with the doctor is always good to rule things out. I'd be interested in what you discover.

I notice that when I've had a really good night's sleep, all of my senses seem to be slightly heightened, but nothing like this. Yes I agree, mention it to your doctor.

I have experienced the same weird smell after using the CPP for 4-5 months. Some days I don’t smell it much. Smells like burnt sugar to me. My nasal passages have been much clearer since usin the machine. Maybe it’s just a heightened sense of smell. Anyone else experience weird smells related to the machine?