What to do to avoid post-COVID-19 ‘brain fog’?

In Decision Guidelines for Rehabilitation and self-care of related diseases after illness COVID-19 (also known as post-COVID-19), the Ministry of Health recommends what to do to avoid “brain fog”.

Minimize distractions: The recovered person tries to work in a quiet, distraction-free environment, can use earplugs if needed. If the latter with COVID-19 is distracted while reading text, mark up parts of the text using paper or using your finger as markers.

Complete activities with less fatigue: When someone with COVID-19 does something that requires thinking skills, plan for it at a less stressful time. For example, if you feel more tired in the afternoon, do your work in the morning.

Take frequent breaks: If the problem is made worse by fatigue, work for shorter periods and take breaks.

Set yourself reasonable goals and destinations: Be sure to set realistic goals that are achievable. For example, read only 5 pages of a book a day.

There is a timetable: People after COVID-19 should try to set up their daily and weekly work schedule. It can be helpful if the “former F0” plans activities ahead of time.

Use incentives: When the person recovering from COVID-19 achieves a goal or goal, reward yourself by doing something very simple, such as drinking a cup of tea or coffee, watching TV, or going for a walk.

Do a one-time activity: Do not rush or try to absorb too much information at once, as this can lead to errors in information processing.

Help: Using lists, notes, diaries, and calendars can help support your memory and habits.

Brain exercises: People with COVID-19 can try new hobbies, solve puzzles, word and number games, memory exercises…

In addition, measures to improve fitness, strategies to reduce stress can improve “brain fog” such as: getting enough sleep and on time, exercising, relaxing; Positive thinking, reasonable diet, avoiding psychoactive substances such as alcohol, beer, stimulants…

According to the Ministry of Health, during the recovery period after COVID-19, people who recover from the disease may experience a series of difficulties related to their ability to think (called “cognition”). These difficulties may include problems with memory, attention, information processing, planning, and organization. This is also known as “brain fog”.

The condition “brain fog” is often made worse by fatigue. This means that the more fatigued a person after COVID-19 is, the more difficult it will be for their ability to think.

Therefore, it is important for people who have had COVID-19 and their families to be aware of whether they are suffering from this condition. If after contracting COVID-19, the patient encounters any of the above difficulties, they should consult the guidance of the Ministry of Health to recover health soon.