How to Beat COVID-19 Fatigue and Get Your Energy Back?


Since the beginning of the pandemic, fatigue has remained one of the five most prevalent COVID-19 symptoms. Other symptoms, such as fever and loss of taste and smell, have grown less common due to the emergence of the delta and omicron variants.

The sore throat, cough, and runny nose associated with COVID-19 are fairly easy to describe, but exhaustion is more nebulous. While sleepiness and lack of energy are common symptoms of tiredness, there is considerable variation in how people experience it. What Does

What Does Post-COVID Fatigue Mean?

COVID symptoms include shortness of breath, sore muscles, and a constant cough. Add fatigue to the list. Each patient's post-COVID fatigue is unique. People may feel drowsy, tired, weak, and unable to move. Some worry about how fatigue makes them irritable, forgetful, or dizzy.

Others only feel tired after a short period of vigorous activity, like work or exercise. Some people's fatigue is intermittent. Patients can normally live on good days. On some days, their symptoms make everything impossible. No matter how tired they are, patients say this is different from after a day of work or exercise. Chronic COVID can cause fatigue, drowsiness, and trouble focusing.

In post-COVID fatigue, also called chronic fatigue syndrome, a full night's sleep may not be enough. Because of this, patients have no energy when they wake up. They need to refuel when their energy runs out.

When Does Post-COVID Tiredness Begin to Subside?

During the early stages of a coronavirus illness, mild tiredness is a common sign. Most people feel much better from this tiredness after two or three weeks. You must refrain from pushing yourself too hard, or you could make your tiredness last longer.

And the severity and length of the patient's tiredness have little to do with how dangerous the initial infection was. Some people with COVID-19 get sick during the acute stage but quickly get better, while others with a milder form may feel tired for a while after the illness. The good news is that there are many ways to treat fatigue after COVID.

Methods for Overcoming Exhaustion Post COVID

Long-haul truckers get tired. Chronic COVID can affect every system in the body, from breathing to sex to the heart. Long-term COVID treatment is systemic, not symptom-based. Extended COVID had brain effects similar to post-concussion syndrome (PCS), our main illness. Post-concussion syndrome is when concussion symptoms persist after a brain injury.

Neuroimaging confirmed hypotheses about long COVID and post-concussion syndrome, so experts modified treatment regimens. Current treatment aims to improve symptoms by re-regulating the autonomic nervous system and normalizing neurovascular connectivity. Before treatment, each patient is scanned with functional neurocognitive imaging (fNCI) to determine which brain areas are healthy and which are damaged by COVID-19.

Adhere to a Schedule

Patients can do some cardiovascular exercise to improve cerebral blood flow before the following therapy.

Promptly afterward, treatments that aid in brain healing are activated. It does this by capitalizing on the cascade of neurochemicals known as the "post-exercise cognitive boost" (PECB), which occurs after physical exertion.

Patients should perform this sequence several times per week to improve neurovascular coupling in the brain, lessen the intensity of chronic COVID-19 symptoms, and increase energy levels. Most patients report feeling better even before therapy is complete, and a second fNCI scan at the end of the week confirms these enhancements.

Therapists visit each patient individually after therapy to go through at-home rehabilitation activities.

Tips to Alleviate Tiredness After COVID

So how can you combat the exhaustion that often follows a COVID outbreak? Although there is currently no cure or prescription to treat exhaustion, various options exist for coping with the condition.

  • Maintain a Regular Sleeping Schedule − Maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule no matter the day of the week. You may sleep better if you stick to a regimen. Using melatonin pills may assist you.

  • Nap for a Few Hours During The Day − If you're feeling drained after finishing a certain task, a short sleep of 30 minutes will help you get back on track. You'll feel much more exhausted at night if you've been sleeping too much throughout the day.

  • Doing Regular Exercise − Even while exercise might make you exhausted at first, it rapidly boosts energy levels. If you only have a few minutes, try taking a stroll. It's best to ease into things and gradually increase the pace and frequency.

  • Get Some Workout and Chill Out − Try doing relationship-building activities like yoga or meditation—plan on going to the spa if possible. Spa therapies might assist in enhancing muscle function and lessen muscular discomfort in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ask a trusted friend or family member to massage your shoulders if you don't have time to go to the spa, or give yourself a massage using this method.

  • Calm your Racing Heart with These Deep, Regulated Breaths − Start by taking four-second breaths in, six-second breaths out, and one second holding your breath. Repeat. These actions can also be used as breathing exercises.

  • Chorus or Gargle − One of the simplest methods to alleviate tension, worry, and weariness is to hum, sing, or gargle. The vagus nerve is an extremely long nerve that extends from the brain down the neck, chest, and belly. Inducing this nerve to fire by humming, singing, or gargling activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and fatigue.

  • Get your Nutrition From Various Sources − Take in healthy fats (such as those found in fried meals), processed foods, and sugary drinks, and limit your intake. Avoid drastic food changes if you suffer from digestive issues; doing so might lead to further metabolic alterations that exacerbate tiredness.

  • Accept That There Will be Both Happy and Terrible Days − Recognize that you will have both good and terrible days. You may experience waves of fatigue and other symptoms. Due to the non-linear nature of recovery, a setback on one day does not always indicate a halt in improvement.

  • Refrain From Using Too Much Effort − Prioritize the things that need the most mental effort each day, whether at work or home.

Conclusion

Keeping a diary can assist you in determining the causes of your daytime fatigue and tracking your mood over time. This list can be a jumping-off point for a conversation about potential treatments you might have with your physician or other medical professionals.

Updated on: 16-Jan-2023

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