• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

Many people are tired of grappling with long COVID – here are some evidence-based ways to counter it

May 9, 2023
in Article
Many people are tired of grappling with long COVID – here are some evidence-based ways to counter it
About 10% of COVID-19 patients will experience continuing symptoms for 12 weeks or more following diagnosis. Maria Korneeva/Moment via Getty Images

A patient of mine, once a marathon runner, now gets tired just walking around the block. She developed COVID-19 during the 2020 Christmas holiday and saw me during the summer of 2021. Previously, her primary care doctor had recommended a graded exercise program. But exercise exhausted her. After months of waiting, she finally had an appointment at our post-COVID-19 clinic at the University of Virginia.

She is hardly alone in her extended search for answers. Studies suggest that from 10% to 45% of COVID-19 survivors have at least one of the following symptoms three months after recovery: fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, difficulty with daily activities or mental fogginess, otherwise known as “brain fog.”

There are many names for this condition: long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and chronic COVID. Patients report that their symptoms, or the severity of them, fluctuate over time, which makes diagnosis and treatment difficult.

Table of Contents

  • A response to infection
  • Dealing with fatigue
  • Signs and symptoms
  • Taking it easy
  • Focusing on the breathing
  • The road to recovery

A response to infection

Researchers and doctors have seen similar recovery patterns from other viruses, including Ebola and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, which is another coronavirus.

This suggests that the illness we see following a bout with COVID-19 may be part of a patient’s response to the infection. But doctors and researchers do not yet know why some patients go on to have persistent symptoms.

My clinical practice and academic research focus on critically ill patients. Most of my patients now are people who had COVID-19 with various levels of severity.

I often tell these patients that we are still learning about this disease, which wasn’t part of our vernacular before 2020. Part of what we do at the clinic is help patients understand what they can do at home to start improving.

For millions of Americans, COVID-19 is still a part of their lives.

Dealing with fatigue

Chronic fatigue can greatly affect quality of life. Exercise limitations can have their roots in problems with the lung, heart, brain, muscles or all of the above.

Graded exercise therapy works for some but not all patients. Graded exercise is the slow introduction of exercise, starting slowly and gradually increasing in load over time. Many are frustrated because they feel more exhausted after exercising or even doing the routine tasks of daily living. The lack of progress leads to feelings of depression.

The condition of feeling more exhausted after exercise is called post-exertional malaise, which is defined as physical and mental exhaustion after an activity, often 24 hours later, that is out of proportion with the activity.

For example, you feel good today and decide to go for a walk around the block. Afterward you are fine, but the next day your muscles ache and all you can do is lie on the couch. Some patients don’t even have the energy to answer emails. Rest or sleep do typically relieve the fatigue. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to treatment; the severity and frequency of post-exertional malaise varies from person to person.

Signs and symptoms

Fatigue following any illness is common, as is exercise intolerance. So when should you see a medical professional? Diagnostic testing for post-exertional malaise exists, but it’s not readily available to all patients. These questions may provide clues to whether or not you are experiencing it:

  • Does it take more than one day to recover to your usual baseline activity?
  • Do you feel unwell, weak, sleep poorly or have pain when recovering from activity?
  • Are you feeling limited in your ability to do your daily tasks after activity?
  • Does exercise activity affect you positively?
  • Do you have soreness and fatigue after nonstrenuous days, or mental fatigue after strenuous or nonstrenuous activities?

All of these can be clues to discuss with your primary care provider, who may want to do additional testing to confirm the diagnosis, such as a two-day cardiopulmonary exercise test.

Before your appointment, there are a few things you can do at home that may help.

Taking it easy

One of those techniques is pacing, or activity management, an approach that balances activities with rest.

The Royal College of Occupational Therapists and the Intensive Care Society, both in the U.K., developed what they call the 3Ps – Pace, Plan and Prioritize.

Pacing yourself means breaking down activities into smaller stretches with frequent breaks rather than doing it all at once. An example would be to climb a few steps and then rest for 30 seconds, instead of climbing all the stairs at once.

Planning involves looking at the week’s activities to see how they can be spread out. Think about the ones that are particularly strenuous, and give yourself extra time to complete them.

This helps with prioritizing – and recognizing those tasks that can be skipped or put off.

Focusing on the breathing

Some patients with long COVID develop abnormal breathing patterns, including shallow rapid breathing, known as hyperventilating, or breath-holding. Either of these patterns can make you feel short of breath.

Symptoms of abnormal breathing patterns include frequent yawning, throat-clearing, experiencing pins-and-needles sensations, palpitations and chest pain. Don’t ignore these symptoms, because they can be signs of serious medical problems like heart attacks and abnormal heart rhythms. Once those are ruled out, it is possible to relearn to breathe properly.

You can practice these techniques at home. The simple version: Find a comfortable position – either lying down or sitting upright with your back supported. Place one hand on your chest and the other over your belly button. Exhale any stale air out of your lungs. Then breathe in through your nose and into your abdomen, creating a gentle rise in the belly.

You should feel the hand resting on your belly button move up and down. Try to avoid short, shallow breaths into the upper chest. Slowly exhale all the air out of your lungs. The goal is to take around eight to 12 breaths per minute.

Focus on a longer exhale than inhale. For example, inhale as described for a count of two, then exhale for a count of three, as a starting point. If you take one breath every five seconds, you will be breathing 12 breaths per minute. As you get more comfortable with this, you can increase the time to further reduce your breaths per minute.

Box breathing is easy to learn and you can do it anywhere, anytime.

A more advanced tool is called box breathing: Breathe in for a count of four to five, holding your breath for a count of four to five, breathing out for a count of four to five and hold that for a count of four to five.

Long COVID patients who use these techniques show improvement in symptoms of breathlessness and sense of well-being.

The road to recovery

The patient I referred to earlier did all of these things. As we worked with her, we discovered she had multiple reasons for her symptoms. In addition to overbreathing and symptoms of post-exertion malaise, she had a new cardiac problem, possibly related to her COVID-19 illness, that made her heart work less well during exercise. Now she is recovering; while not back to marathon running, she is feeling better.

Currently there is no cure for long COVID, though we hope research will lead to one. Clinical trials looking at potential therapies are continuing. In the meantime, people should be cautious about using medications that are not proved to help – and if you’re having symptoms, get evaluated.

The Conversation

Kyle B. Enfield does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ShareTweetSharePin
Next Post
New Alzheimer’s drug: what you need to know about donanemab’s promising trial results

New Alzheimer’s drug: what you need to know about donanemab’s promising trial results

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021

4 steps to building a healthier relationship with your phone

January 28, 2025

Why Circadian Rhythms Matter for Your Health

July 30, 2024
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

May 20, 2025

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021

Maximize Your Performance – Sync with Your Circadian Rhythms

August 9, 2024
woman covered with white blanket

Exploring the Impact of Sleep Patterns on Mental Health

August 4, 2024
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022

This Simple Hygiene Habit Could Cut Your Risk of Stroke, New Research Reveals

February 1, 2025
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

May 21, 2025
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022

🧬 How Your DNA Affects Exercise: The Science of Personalized Fitness

May 21, 2025
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

January 28, 2025
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS