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Fatigue After Corona? CBD Oil For Long COVID

21 May 2021

Now that many of us have already been through a COVID-19 infection, people increasingly report lingering symptoms long after the actual virus has gone. One common symptom of this ‘Long COVID Syndrome’ is so-called post-corona fatigue. It’s a frustrating experience: even the slightest exertion leads to total exhaustion. If you do more than you can handle, you’ll have to deal with the consequences for days. Symptoms can also express themselves mentally as poor concentration, memory issues, and more. Scientists are struggling to explain post-corona fatigue. Even if people seem in order physically, the number of cases tells a different story. So what is going on here? Researchers suspect a connection with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. One potential cause may be an extended inflammatory response of the immune system. That is why CBD Oil could prove a very effective treatment for fatigue after corona.

‘Long COVID’: Extreme Fatigue After Corona

If you went through a coronavirus infection without going to hospital, your lack of serious symptoms must have been a relief. Sadly, however, many people find out later that their relief was premature. Even after most symptoms went away, they kept feeling extremely tired. Curiously, fatigue after corona affects many people who seem perfectly healthy in the physical sense. Even though they show no signs of organ damage and were never admitted to hospital, they still feel completely knackered after mild physical exertion.

Doctors recall patients who were fit as a fiddle before corona struck, including highly motivated athletes. Post-COVID, people who used to hop on a bicycle and pedal 150km without effort are now barely able to stay upright on an exercise bike for 10 minutes straight. Moreover, many former patients face mental problems as well, including difficulty concentrating (‘brain fog’), problems keeping track of complex situations, and even depression.

1 In 10 Still Affected By Long Covid Fatigue After Corona

UK Office for National Statistics figures now indicate that one out of every ten COVID patients still suffers from these problems three months after they were infected. Although it is not yet fully understood what causes these symptoms, extreme fatigue following viral infections is not that uncommon. Conditions including glandular fever (‘mono’), Lyme’s, and legionella can sometimes cause long-term tiredness symptoms, too. Still, extreme lack of energy following COVID infections is a more urgent issue, simply because of the sheer number of people who get the disease. Doctors see more people suffering from fatigue after corona week after week. All around the world, research teams are scrambling to find out what is going on.

Research Into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome And Long COVID

The chronic fatigue experienced by former COVID patients is a striking phenomenon. Scientists compare the symptoms to those of CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome); another poorly understood condition for which no treatment exists. Both conditions can be caused by an initial viral infection, although physical and emotional stress are often stated as causes for CFS. Symptoms are similar, too, including tiredness, exertion intolerance, and cognitive problems.

Researchers mainly direct their efforts at immune system responses. The underlying cause of fatigue following corona infections may be linked to disruptions of the immune system. The same could be true for CFS. Emeritus professor Jos van der Meer is a renowned expert on this condition. He thinks CFS patients are suffering from continuous brain inflammation. This causes immune cells to produce inflammatory agents that overwhelm the body. Unfortunately, he adds, there is no solid evidence to back these claims yet.

Hyperactive Immune System

Other scientists suspect that CFS as well as Long COVID fatigue after corona may be caused by immune system hyperactivity. This system is initially triggered by the viral infection, but  somehow, it is unable to switch back off again. This in turn leads to continuously rising cytokine levels (inflammation proteins), which sustain the symptoms even though there is no longer any infection to justify their presence.

Another option under consideration is the possibility that Long COVID and CFS could lead to mast cell activation syndrome. In this case, infections destabilize mast cells that produce histamine. This causes symptoms comparable to those of an allergic reaction.

Recovering From Fatigue After COVID-19

It appears that anyone facing fatigue after corona has a long road to recovery ahead. To complicate the matter further, exceeding your limits in trying to recover will only make matters worse. Intense exercise is not the solution. As with CFS, symptoms may worsen rather than disappear. That explains the term exertion intolerance: the body seems to resist attempts at recovery by exercise.

The general advice for recovery from post corona fatigue is therefore a gradual return to your everyday routine. An important factor in successful recovery is accepting your symptoms without going beyond your current limits.

CBD For Faster Recovery From Post Corona Fatigue

So could CBD help speed up recovery from postviral fatigue syndrome? At present, several research groups are studying the potential of CBD, mostly focusing on severely ill corona patients as happens in Israel and Austria. The Austrian results look particularly promising. The involved clinician noticed that infections disappeared faster in patients receiving CBD. He stated that CBD can support the immune system as well as reduce infections.

So far, these studies have focused on patients actively experiencing symptoms of the virus itself rather than lingering Long COVID problems. Interestingly, though, CBD appears to hold particular promise for this specific trajectory. Whether post corona fatigue is caused by inflammation, allergic reactions, or a hyperactive immune system; CBD could help support the body to counter all three causes.

Long COVID, Fatigue, And CBD Oil After Corona

The key to CBD’s potential for post-corona fatigue is in its anti-inflammatory potential. This could help counter or prevent brain inflammation. CBD also has immuno-modulating properties, which can help restore balance to the immune system. Excessive immune responses could be soothed by cannabidiol’s effects on the human endocannabinoid system.

The majority of studies into CBD, Long COVID, and post-corona symptoms are still in their initial stages. The causes and effects of these symptoms are still a puzzle for science to solve. Nonetheless, extreme fatigue after corona is a disconcerting affliction with a huge impact on daily life. It may well turn out that CBD supplements help promote recovery. And since this natural compound is safe to use and hardly produces any side-effects, it certainly seems worth a try.

Perhaps you are already using CBD Oil or other supplements to maintain a healthy balance. If you do not, or if you know someone close who might benefit from doing so, the why not have a look at our webshop? You may want to check out our CBD Tablets or CBD Gummies: they are easy to use and have pleasant fruity flavours. If you can really use a boost, we suggest trying our CBD Coffee Peru or Brazil, for a natural dose of CBD infused into the finest sustainable coffee beans.