"Long Covid" and How to deal with the symptoms.

Most people who get Covid-19 recover within a few weeks.

However, months later, some people who have contracted Covid, continue to struggle with symptoms and recently I have been having a lot of clients suffer from the effects.

They’ve become known as the “long haulers.” The phenomenon is also called “long COVID-19” or “post-COVID-19 syndrome.”

Common long-haul symptoms

Some common long-term symptoms are shortness of breath during exercise and an altered sense of smell and taste.

Some people have lingering headache, joint pain, or a cough while many cite “brain fog” as a problem.

Some people might just feel a bit ‘off’ cognitively, while others describe difficulty with even simple things like paying bills or sending an email.

Another problem that appears common is fatigue, lack of energy and just feeling completely wiped out.

Dealing with symptoms

COVID-19 has the capacity to infect and affect many different tissues. The ongoing pandemic and other events are stressors and clearly adding to the difficulties for many.

Always remember to consider your body as its own guide.

If you’re feeling exhausted, it’s important to figure out how much sleep you’re actually getting. Falling asleep and staying asleep is an issue for many individuals, so if you’re getting unrefreshing sleep, even though you’re in bed a normal number of hours, work on you might like to work on your sleep hygiene.

Look at returning to exercise, but this can be a challenge. If you can’t get back to your pre-COVID-19 level right away, take things slowly and don’t push it.

Be attentive to how you feel. If you’re having respiratory issues, be very careful about exercise and doing exercises such as yoga and partial push-ups, during which you can work on controlled breathing might be a better easy start into a fitness regime.

If you have respiratory symptoms, it’s really important to allocate your energy so, be cautious, slow your pace, and take rest periods.

Here’s some foodie Do’s & Don’t’s that will help to increase energy and boost your immune system:

DO

1.     Drink 1.5 to 2 Litres of water daily in-between meals

2.     Eat a variety of food with immune boosting foods like shiitake mushroom, blueberries, mangos, avocado, broccoli, goji berries, cherries and citrus fruit.

3.     Aim for 8 hours a good quality sleep each night

4.     Aim for 30 minutes of exercise daily, whether it walking, bouncing on a trampoline or yoga

5.     Take supplements to give you a boost that are proven, standardised, pharmaceutical grade and of the best quality to ensure your recovery

DON’T

1.     Drink too much caffeine that can dehydrate you and give you false energy

2.     Drink too much alcohol. Limit alcohol to 3 drinks a week or take this time to quit alcohol all together.

3.     Eat junk food. Dump the junk food and eat clean.

4.     Just sit around, research your symptoms, monitor your symptoms and ask for some help

5.     Get down about it. Think positive and seek help for your mental health too.

When to talk with a doctor

With a growing number of telephone-health options, you don’t necessarily have to visit your doctor in person.

Arrange a virtual visit if you have any concerns or questions about how to recover from persistent symptoms after having COVID-19.

Sleep disorders, for example, can be treated.

Sleep is a time when the immune system and brain are doing a lot of work. When you’re not getting enough quality sleep, you potentially interrupt these important aspects of the body rebuilding itself to be able to withstand the next round of stressors.

Get in touch with your doctor right away if you have any symptoms of a blood clot, which can lead to pulmonary embolism or stroke. And seek immediate medical attention if you have:

  • trouble breathing

  • chest pain or pressure

  • rapid weight loss or gain

  • inability to eat or drink

  • gastrointestinal problems

  • trouble staying awake

Symptoms of COVID-19 can look a lot like those of the flu, when in doubt, testing can help confirm the cause of your symptoms so you can get the right kind of help.

Report new or worsening symptoms to your doctor and follow up as needed.

If you need to chat through your issues, I’m offering a FREE 15-minute discovery call to see how I can help.

Email me on barbara@bcnutrition.co.uk

Thanks

Barbara Cox-Lovesy