Recovery from covid: 10 important rules that will save lives

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It can save your life.

Why you should definitely give yourself time to recover from covid

It is worth giving yourself the opportunity to recover after every viral infection you have suffered, whether it is a common ARVI of moderate severity or the flu.

Recovery is not a one-time event (although it may seem so to those who finally wake up one morning without fever and with a clear head). This is the What to expect after COVID process, during which the body puts in order the organs and systems that have been eroded by the virus.

Even after a common flu, 5 Ways the Flu Can Affect Your Health Even After You Feel Better an increased risk of heart attack, pneumonia, and other infections, and a serious decrease in strength and endurance.

If during this period you give yourself an excessive load, the consequences can be the most catastrophic - up to disability and even death.

In the case of acute respiratory viral infections or flu, most people are lucky: their body quickly recovers, and only temporary mild asthenia reminds of a past illness. But not the fact that this applies to covid.

Despite the fact that the pandemic has been going on for more than a year, doctors still know little about how the SARS ‑ CoV ‑ 2 coronavirus affects the body. However, it is already known that its consequences can be protracted and severe. Among them:

• 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.

In addition, 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, attentiveness deteriorate sharply, the speed of reactions decreases, 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.

How long will it take to recover

Everything is individual. In most cases, if the meeting with the coronavirus was easy, people recover within a few weeks from the onset of the disease.

If the symptoms of coronavirus infection in one form or another persist for more than three weeks, doctors talk about long-term (the condition is often called Long COVID and chronic COVID syndromes) or even chronic covid.

It is impossible to predict whether you will get by with a little blood or will encounter a Longkoid. All that can be done is to help the body rehabilitate itself.

What to do to make your recovery from covid faster

Lifehacker analyzed the data available in evidence-based medicine and collected 10 important rules to follow.

1. Take your time

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

The same longkoid is an insidious state. Long-haul 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 in the near future 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 Covid Recovery recommendation for recovering from any viral infection. 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, concentration of attention and performance are reduced. There are studies on Sleep Duration and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies, which prove that people who sleep less than six hours a day die from any health problem 12% more often than those who sleep eight.

During rehabilitation after covid, you definitely do not need this risk. Get enough sleep. If you find it difficult to fall asleep, give up gadgets before bed: they only get in the way.

4. Limit 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 they are the ones that cause headaches, weakness, disorders in the work of the cardiovascular system, and thus slow down recovery from illness.

Try to create and follow your daily routine. It 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 well

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 Covid Recovery intake of sweets, soda, store baked goods, and processed meats (sausages, sausages).

8. Drink plenty of fluids

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

But alcohol should be abandoned at least for the period of recovery from an illness.

9. Do breathing exercises

They help Coronavirus Recovery: Breathing Exercises restore lung function that may have been affected after covid. The simplest exercise recommended by the experts at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is slow belly breathing. They do it like this:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent.
2. Place your palms on your stomach or wrap them around the sides of your stomach.
3. Close your lips and press your tongue against the palate.
4. Breathe in deeply through your nose, drawing air into your abdomen - about where your palms are. Try to inhale so that your stomach rises as high as possible, spreading your fingers.
5. Exhale slowly through your nose.
6. Repeat deep breaths for a minute.

But stop exercising immediately if it makes you feel uncomfortable: dizzy, dark eyes, shortness of breath, chest pain, sticky sweat, heart starts beating faster or misses beats.

Ideally, it is necessary to start breathing exercises, after consulting with the doctor who is observing you - the same therapist. At the same time, he will tell you which exercises will be most effective in your case.

10. Stay in touch with the therapist

This is especially important during the recovery period from covid. You should be able to quickly contact and consult with a specialist if new or disturbing symptoms appear.

The doctor will ask you about your well-being, conduct an examination, and, if necessary, offer to pass some tests. And, if necessary, he will prescribe medications that will help to cope with poor health.