At this point, there are about 504 million people across the world who have had COVID-19. It is important that everyone gets vaccinated to prevent severe infection and reduce the spread of the disease. Even vaccinated individuals can still experience milder symptoms of COVID-19, and many people report fatigue even if the initial infection was mild. For most people, fatigue will go away after a couple of weeks, but it potentially can linger for longer.
Julio Licinio is a physician leader, scientist and editor-in-chief of world renowned scientific journal, Molecular Psychiatry. Today he shares tips for coping with fatigue after having COVID-19.
- It can be easy to think that the fatigue is all in your head, but try to remind yourself that it is real. Your body is still recovering from having an illness, even if most of your other symptoms have gone away. Fatigue is invisible and hard for people to understand, but it can also be debilitating.
- Talk to your friends and family about what you are experiencing and how it is impacting your life. Perhaps they can help you with a few basic tasks while you rest and get your energy back.
- Getting a restful night’s sleep is important to assist you in your recovery. Try to get up at the same time every morning to help keep a regular sleep schedule.
- Don’t over-exert yourself on the days where you feel like you have a lot of energy. This will only make you feel even more exhausted the next day.
- Keeping a journal may help you keep track of what activity levels you have from day-to-day.
- When your activity level is stable, try doing a small amount of exercise, such as light yoga, stretching, or taking a short walk if you are up to it. Start low and go slow so you don’t overdo it.
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