Of late, many people have been reaching out to me with this common problem — low energy levels and extreme fatigue that has started affecting them post a Covid diagnosis. We usually suggest that when you work out, your body releases feel good hormones and the mild symptoms of low energy will come under control but particularly with post Covid fatigue, workouts make it worse and a few people even face breathing difficulties. Covid-19 affects our body at a cellular level and can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction; energy production takes place in the mitochondria of the cell which takes up chemical energy from food and makes energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which is utilised by each and every cell. When the function of mitochondria is affected, the body cannot produce energy and that can further cause fatigue despite sleeping, eating and exercising well.
A viral infection can impact the homeostasis of our body and the mitochondria starts self destructing through cell proliferation, self apoptosis (killing of cells) which further affects communication between cells, immune system and energy levels. That’s why, post Covid, the system is going to generate less ATP and everyone faces post Covid fatigue. So how do we improve these symptoms? It will take time but we can start with the tips below to manage these symptoms:
Follow these basic steps to improve energy levels gradually because our body’s intelligence helps us in healing, we just have to be watchful of the same.