Natalia Chi
When Priya Mathew recovered from a mild case of COVID-19 in November, she thought she was out of the woods. Then came the long COVID.
“At one point, I counted 23 symptoms,” Matthew told CBS News. “The most alarming ones were shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and heart palpitations.”
One of the most crippling symptoms? insomnia.
“Nothing worked. I woke up in agony all night,” she said. “It felt like an electric shock ran through my whole body from head to toe.”
Matthew is not alone. Dr. Emmanuel During, a psychiatrist and neurologist, observes this in sleep patients at Mount Sinai Hospital.
for those who have long covidhe says, insomnia is often associated with pain and resistant to treatment.
“Pain can also occur at night, and an imbalance in many autonomic nerves, autonomic dysfunction, the body’s function of controlling heart rate and blood pressure, can lead to episodes of heart palpitations and night sweats,” he explains in the meantime. To do. .
Even those who haven’t had COVID-19 for a long time, the pandemic has robbed them of many restful nights of sleep.
Nearly one-third of Americans say they’ve had trouble sleeping since COVID began, according to a 2022 survey from the United States. American Society of Sleep MedicineThis is down from 56% the year before. This phenomenon is called “COVID-somnia”.
Matthew confessed that he had been unable to work for at least a month because of his battle with sleep deprivation.
“I used too much energy for any trivial task. I just took a shower and then had to rest for three hours,” she explained.
Matthews wrote about her experience For the online news outlet Axios, where she works.Like many people dealing with a lengthy COVID, she says her first infection looked like “light” case.
“I quickly realized that in order to get better, I needed to completely change my life,” she wrote. “…when my body needs rest, I rest.”
I estimate my symptoms have improved by 60-70% in the last 4 months.
Doctors say sticking to good shape is key sleep hygiene Habits such as regular bedtimes and not looking at screens late at night. Insomnia can reveal other health issues, such as sleep apnea, so it’s a good idea to see a sleep professional if you’re having trouble sleeping.
