Recovering After COVID-19

Recovering after COVID-19Even though the pandemic has been going on for more than a year, doctors still know little about how Covid-19 affects the body. However, it is already known that its consequences can be protracted and severe:

  • Cough and shortness of breath. It is difficult for a person to breathe, and his body runs the risk of not receiving the required amount of oxygen
  • Lung tissue damage (fibrosis)
  • Heart problems
  • Inflammation of the walls of blood vessels (vasculitis)
  • Thrombosis, that is, an increased risk of blood clots, with all the attendant risks of heart attacks and strokes
  • Muscle wasting. This effect is experienced by people who have spent several weeks in the hospital or were bedridden. Loss of muscle tissue makes it difficult for a person to even lift a spoon
  • Also, the coronavirus can trigger the development of chronic fatigue syndrome (aka post-viral syndrome). This is a complex and not fully understood disease, in which a person begins to feel as if he was disconnected from a power source: memory and attentiveness deteriorate sharply, the speed of reactions decrease, cognitive abilities in general, and endurance decreases. In this state, even going to the store becomes a feat, and many have to simply forget about work or study.

To reduce the risks, you need to give yourself time to calmly recover from the coronavirus infection and, if possible, support the body with the help of some rehabilitation measures.

What to do to make recovering from Covid

1. Take your time

How long it will take to recover from Covid-19 is unknown.

Covid patients can experience ’waves of symptoms’, early research suggests that symptoms reappear after periods of improvement, sometimes lasting several weeks.

If you were ill 1-2 months ago, this does not mean that shortly you will not be covered with weakness and other health problems.

Of course, it’s not worth turning into a hypochondriac and drawing pictures of possible deterioration. But what you really need is to carefully monitor your well-being and not to chase ahead of time for labor and sports feats.

Return to the old pace of life gradually, step by step. And be ready to back up at any time if you suddenly feel not very well.

2. Get more rest

This is the standard recommendation for recovering from any viral infections. Don’t overwork, don’t bring work home, rest, and hang out with friends on weekends.

3. Sleep at least 8 hours

Lack of sleep destroys: because of it, memory deteriorates, and the concentration of attention and performance is reduced.

If you find it difficult to fall asleep, give up gadgets before bed: they only get in the way.

4. Limiting loads

Both physical and mental. For example, with post-viral syndrome, sports and the desire to lead an active lifestyle can significantly impair health.

Therefore, give up the gym and jogging. For at least a few weeks after you thought you had recovered.

5. Try to be less nervous

Stress, like the covid itself, often provokes the development of chronic fatigue syndrome. And in general, experiences and nervousness have a bad effect on health. Often it is they that become the cause of headaches, weakness, and disturbances in the work of the cardiovascular system and thereby slowing down recovery from illness.

Try to create and follow your daily routine. This will make your life more measured, predictable, and less stressful.

6. Keep a diary of observations

Note in it what you did and what consequences it led to. So you may notice, for example, that after the usual cup of coffee in the morning you are more nervous or suffer from headaches during the day. Or you don’t get enough sleep if you go to bed after 10 pm. Or, suppose that you are exhausted by walking a distance of more than 200 m.

A diary can help you rebuild your lifestyle so that you don’t overwork.

7. Eat healthy food

Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and other trace elements are the building blocks with which your body repairs the damage caused by the virus.

Don’t leave your body without essential building materials.

At the same time, limit your intake of sweets, and soda, store-baked, and processed meats (sausages, sausages).

8. Drink plenty of fluids

The norm for the average adult is at least 2.5 liters of fluid per day. Moisture can also be obtained from juicy vegetables and fruits, tea, coffee, and soups.

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