COVID-19—Cause of Insomnia & Disturbed Cognitive Function?

A specialist clinic in the UAE revealed that some COVID-19 patients could face long-term side effects such as brain fog and insomnia. Around 33% of COVID-19 patients don’t simply recover when the virus has left their system. Instead, they are what this clinic refers to as “long-haulers.” Meaning, they continue to have symptoms long after the two-week period had elapsed, when they are no longer contagious. 

In addition to the regular symptoms of COVID-19, which include a dry cough, fever, sore throat, headaches, breathing issues, and fatigue, a third of all patients suffer from long-term problems. For instance, cognitive fatigue (or “brain fog”) and insomnia symptoms are the two most prominent among COVID-19 long-haulers. 

For months after being diagnosed with the virus that caused a global pandemic, patients struggle with poor sleep, exhaustion, and mental fatigue; severely affecting the daily lives of these people. Hence, they most commonly struggle with decision-making, alertness, and productivity during this period.

In fact, treating insomnia can be exceptionally difficult. While some resort to using some of the best natural sleep aids to help ease them into sleep, others may have to rely on prescription drugs (sleeping pills), which may have their own side effects. And these side effects will certainly not help with the brain fog. 

And if treating insomnia wasn’t difficult enough, dealing with brain fog is nigh impossible. There are some prescription medications on the market that can help make a person more alert. However, these don’t always work for people and they bring their own problems (side effects) to the table yet again.