(Disclaimer: I am not an MD and do not play one on the Internet. This information is the result of research I have done, but it should absolutely not be taken as medical advice. Talk to your medical professional if you are concerned).
Fatigue is about being tired beyond tired. It’s the feeling of having been hit by a Mac truck, of not having the energy to move your limbs, sometimes for days on end. It’s one of the most debilitating side effects of Long Covid, and we don’t talk about it enough.
The WHO says that 1 in 10 SARS-Cov-2 infections (not 1 in 10 people … 1 in 10 infections) will result in Long Covid. If people are allowing themselves and their children to be infected over and over, chances are very high that they will eventually end up as part of this mass disabling event. What can we do about it?
The first thing to do is to avoid getting infected. But if it’s too late for that, it’s important to know that pushing through the fatigue is the absolutely worst thing you can do. It can bring on something called Post Exertional Malaise, or PEM, which will only make the fatigue worse. PEM can come on within 12 hours of mental or physical exertion that would normally be fine, and can be completely debilitating. It is often accompanied by brain fog and other symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).
If you are recovering from a viral infection (and SARS-Cov-2 is only one of a group of viruses, including Epstein-Barr, that can bring on PEM), it is absolutely vital that you rest as much as possible. Don’t be a hero, don’t power through it, don’t go back to work unless you absolutely have to, and don’t exercise until you feel better. But even then, be careful of “push and crash cycles” – feeling better and overdoing it to “make up lost time”, and then being even worse off.
It can be extremely frustrating to have to monitor your exercise level and back off before you are hit with PEM, especially if you are accustomed to an active lifestyle. But listen to your body and give it time to recover. Not everyone recovers from Long Covid – but by giving your body the rest it needs, you improve your chances of being one of the lucky ones.
Do you know anyone who needs this information? Feel free to share!
