Need help getting your energy back after COVID or a virus?
Catch a virus such as COVID or flu, and you would expect to be lacking in energy for a few days until your body recovers. Some cases, however, this tiredness persists more than 1 month after the virus has cleared up. This is a fairly common occurrence, known in the medical world as ‘post-viral fatigue’. The condition has been under the spotlight recently as there has been a resurgence in COVID infections over the summer of 2024.
Symptoms and Causes
Symptoms of post-viral fatigue can very from person to person, and can fluctuate in severity. As well as the obvious tiredness, someone with post-viral fatigue may experience anything from headaches and muscle pain, to poor sleep and flu-like symptoms such as dizziness and poor temperature control. (For a full list of symptoms read our newsletter which you can access here). [insert link to your email lead collection page for this campaign]
In this way, it is very similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; indeed, the two are often confused. However, while there is no consensus as to a cause for CFS, it is widely agreed that post-viral fatigue is caused when the immune response to a virus continues in the body once the virus has passed. Chemicals known as cytokines that are released to fight off a virus remain present, causing inflammation and preventing the body from functioning as normal. Unlike CFS, it is possible in most cases to make a relatively quick recovery from post-viral fatigue, when a carefully managed recovery programme is followed.
Exercise as a Recovery Strategy from Post Viral Fatigue
Getting the body moving again post-viral infection is an important step to recover your energy and help the recovery process- BUT this must be done sensibly!
The reason is that when suffering from post-viral fatigue, your body is particularly susceptible to ‘post-exertional malaise’. As your energy levels can fluctuate from day to day, you might feel like you can take on your normal 5km jog one day, only to find you feel much worse the next. Sometimes it only takes a very minimal level of activity to provoke symptoms of post-viral fatigue; certainly doing too much too soon can actually impede your recovery.
Helping A Patient Through Guided Exercise
This is why it’s particularly important to work with a health professional to put together an energy management plan to help you manage your activities to stay within your energy limit and without triggering or worsening your symptoms.
It is helpful to set yourself goals, making sure these are achievable and realistic to keep yourself motivated. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to regain your fitness – the most important thing is to exercise frequently.
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Rest
When suffering from post-viral fatigue, the rest you take is just as important as the the other activities you choose to do. It might seem strange, but in this condition that makes you feel tired all the time, the quality of your sleep is often one of the areas that suffers most. Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to improve your ‘sleep hygiene’. Having a regular bedtime routine in place that involves relaxing activities such as a bath or perhaps some breathing exercises can help ‘train’ your body to sleep. It is important to avoid too much stimulation before bed, so try and turn off screens (that includes your phone!) at least an hour before you go down.
It is also a good idea to establish a morning routine. Set an alarm and commit to getting up at the same time each day, no matter how tired you might feel. The sleep you get after hitting the snooze button is rarely restorative, and can result in that ‘groggy’ morning feeling.
Finally, no matter how tired you might feel during the day, avoid taking naps. The aim is to establish a solid sleeping pattern, ideally around eight hours, in which your body has the deep, restorative rest it needs.
Other Considerations
We have focused on the physical areas of exercise and rest in this post, though it should be acknowledged that post-viral fatigue is considered a ‘biopsychosocial’ condition, meaning that while it may originate biologically, it affects – and can be affected by – our mental state and social conditions as well. For this reason it might be worth considering some alternative ways to look at treating the condition.
CBT
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a form of talking therapy that can help you realise when and how your thoughts might not be helping you achieve the outcomes you desire. The underlying theory behind CBT is that our patterns of thought are extrinsically linked to our feelings, behaviour and physical sensations. This is not to suggest that post-viral fatigue is ‘all in the mind’; rather, exploring CBT as a way to aid recovery from the condition is to acknowledge that it can have an affect on your mental state as well.
When suffering from a condition such as post-viral fatigue, it can be easy to slip into a pattern of negative thoughts, which can affect everything from your motivation to exercise, to your body’s ability to recover. CBT offers a practical, proven way to address these issues. We’ve produced a leaflet covering CBT for post-viral fatigue here at this link.
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Socialising
It is also important to acknowledge the effect that social support can have on recovery from post-viral fatigue. The symptoms of PVF can leave you feeling reluctant to socialise and like you want to withdraw until you feel better. However, it is important to maintain some social activity, as isolation can add to feelings of fatigue and have a negative impact on your wellbeing. If seeing your friends feels like too much, it may be worth considering a support group for those with PVF.
In Summary
In summary, post-viral fatigue is a very real, and can be a debilitating condition. If not managed correctly, it can lead to the more serious, long term Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. However, by taking a proactive approach to managing the condition, with techniques such as Graded Exercise Therapy, sleep hygiene and CBT, the condition will usually abate over time.
For advice on any aspect of the topics please get in touch with us- we would be delighted to help you.
