Long Covid Anxiety: Nervous System Connection
By Now We’re All Too Familiar with the Fever, Coughing and Difficulty Breathing That Signal Infection with Covid 19. After All, Cdc Data Indicates Nearly 80%...
By now we’re all too familiar with the fever, coughing and difficulty breathing that signal infection with COVID 19. After all, CDC data indicates nearly 80% of Americans have had COVID. And while making it through a COVID episode should be cause for celebration, up to 84% of people still suffer from fatigue and other symptoms afterward — a condition known as long COVID. What’s more, long COVID anxiety is also common. The good news is that it’s possible to overcome these draining symptoms. Read on for expert advice on the topic, and keep scrolling to see how Alisa Boiling, 61, conquered long COVID.
What is long COVID?
The CDC defines long COVID as signs, symptoms and conditions that develop or persist after an acute COVID infection and last for four weeks or more. But in a Stanford University study, 73% of patients reported at least one COVID-related symptom that lingered for 6 months or longer. Plus, researchers reporting in The Lancet Regional Health determined that 84% of long COVID sufferers experienced draining symptoms two years after recovering from their initial COVID infection. And in an advisory issued by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, anxiety proved to be more common in long COVID sufferers than either brain fog or fatigue.
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What causes long COVID anxiety?
Separate findings from Stanford University suggest that imbalances in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) are a major reason anxiety and other long COVID symptoms can drag on and on. “The ANS is made up of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems, which are supposed to work with each other to regulate body processes such as heart rate, respiration and brain function, “ explains Norman Gaylis, MD, who treats long COVID patients at Arthritis & Rheumatic Disease Specialties in Aventura, FL. “But persistent inflammation produced by COVID can cause an imbalance between the two systems that triggers fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety and other symptoms that can be debilitating.” Indeed, the Stanford study identified ANS dysfunction in 66% of long-COVID patients. And as a result, they experienced significant reductions in both physical and emotional health.
Related: Top Doc: Secret to a Happier Mood + Better Sleep Is a Regulated Nervous System
Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.
