What is post-COVID brain fog and how can you recover? Tips from a Newport Hospital expert

Is your thinking less sharp and your memory muddier today than it was before you got COVID-19? If so, you are not alone.

This “brain fog” is one of the most common concerns that patients of all ages come to me with these days. There are many possible contributors, including post-COVID-19 syndrome, also known as “Long Haul COVID.”

COVID-19 causes neurologic symptoms in two ways: by worsening pre-existing symptoms and by triggering entirely new symptoms. For a person who already has nerve pain due to a spine injury or neuropathy (a general term for nerve dysfunction), a case of COVID-19 can aggravate or worsen the pain. Likewise, a person with mild memory impairment from aging can find themselves with a significant decline in thinking abilities for several months after recovering from the initial infection.

Recent studies have found that new and painful neuropathies and cognitive impairment can be triggered by COVID-19 in patients of any age, even in those that initially had mild symptoms. With perhaps one in four Rhode Islanders having been infected with COVID-19, this means that you or someone you know may be experiencing post-COVID-19 brain fog.

What is COVID-19 associated brain fog?

You can think of brain fog as a networking problem, with communication between the various parts of the brain becoming compromised by either direct injury from the virus itself or from immune system overactivation that leaves behind a simmering but gradually fading inflammation in the brain.

A COVID-19 infection and its inflammatory aftermath jolt the intricately coordinated neural networks in the brain and disrupt the flow of information. Imagine a fleet of delivery trucks suddenly losing their central dispatch – the packages will probably still be delivered but perhaps not in the most efficient way. Likewise, it might take you more repetitions to remember a person’s name or a new phone number, or you forget about assignments and appointments. The information probably gets there eventually, but not as reliably as before.

The good news is that that most patients with post-COVID-19 brain fog recover completely in six to nine months. There is a small segment of patients of all ages that have experienced brain fog persistently for up to two years. Patients with pre-existing dementia or mild cognitive impairment are less likely to recover fully.

While there is no cure and no breakthrough treatment that can speed post-COVID-19 recovery, here are some potentially helpful things you can do:

· Quit tobacco use – smokers are less likely to recover as fully than if they quit.

· Minimize alcohol use – light or occasional use is probably harmless but anything more could hinder recovery.

· Exercise – activity of any sort, including walking for 20 minutes per day, will increase blood flow and encourage maximal brain healing.

· Improve your diet – fast food, processed foods, and sugary sweets and drinks all foster an inflammatory state and work against healing.

· Take Vitamin D – supplementation of 1000 or 2000 IU once daily to support brain and nerve function.

· Exercising the mind and memory – do crossword puzzles or play card games or Sudoku or Wordle; read newspapers, magazines, novels or technical manuals.

Recovering from COVID-19 brain fog

The first several months after having COVID-19 should be spent trying to resume prior activities as much as possible. If there is a new physical or cognitive symptom post-infection, be patient and gradually reintroduce the exercise or activity at a slower pace over several weeks. Remember that the brain heals over months, so try not to become frustrated.

If cognitive symptoms are disabling to the point of being unable to work at all, or if symptoms persist beyond six months after a COVID-19 infection, contact your primary care provider or a neurologist to discuss your symptoms and a care plan.

Preston Douglas, MD, is a board-certified neurologist with Newport Neurology at Newport Hospital, a Lifespan Physician Group Practice. Health Matters appears monthly on newportri.com and in The Daily News.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Newport Hospital doctor offers tips on post-COVID brain fog recovery