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> I'm far less creative, less excited about work, less interested in challenging topics, and less capable of solving complex problems.

So, just to point this out: none of those symptoms are remotely unique to Long Covid, or any other disorder. They correlate with real/known/unsurprising conditions like depression, alcoholism, aging and even stuff like poor diet even more strongly than with covid; and of course they're the kind of thing we all deal with as we go through life. No one works at peak performance through their whole career. Everyone has rough patches.

Does that invalidate your covid experience? No. I'm just saying this is the kind of thing you (and I, and all of us) were going to deal with at some point anyway.

Yup, that's totally fair and correct.

I honestly do not know if its related to COVID or if I'm just getting older and my body / mind are finally starting the inevitable downward spiral that takes place over the next 30-40 years.

It's hard to say for sure. All I can say is, relative to who I was in 2019 I feel like I'm easily 50% of that person both physically and mentally. Maybe that's "natural" for someone in their mid-30s, but to me it feels a little accelerated.

There's nothing natural about a downward spiral in your mid-30s. I mean there will be some gradual deterioration but biologically a significant downward spiral doesn't have to hit until your 70s. There are plenty of masters athletes still turning in great performances at advanced ages. And they aren't genetic outliers; mostly they are just persistent and consistent.

Before blaming unlikely exotic causes like "long COVID" I would suggest fully optimizing the basics: sleep hygiene, body composition, nutrition, exercise, sun exposure, alcohol, etc. If you fix all that stuff and still feel worse than you did in 2019 then there may be something else going on.

https://peterattiamd.com/outlive/

https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter

Hey, to chip in: try cardio, especially running. Men loose muscle mass with age, as you are already aware, resistance training is important, but cardio should be on top of your list.

I was there with you in terms of brain fog, general mental slowdown, what is called cognitive decline, and mind you, I presume we are healthy, without cognitive degeneration or serius injuries or conditions.

Running 3 times per week should get you on track in about a month. Try it and notice the difference. We are made for movement. If you're healthy and don't feel like running, in my case, i immediately know i should be doing the thing I don't feel like doing. Running. 1x interval training, 1x hill repeats, 1, long run in cardio zone 2. If you can, get s Garmin watch. Stats will help you maintain focus on the big picture. Streaks can help reframe for consistency.

I started training when corona hit, this is the best I've felt ever. Slowly progressed to cycling on off days for better recovery. Bought smart watches for friends, now we keep each other in check, we sometimes even meet at the pool at 6 am for a quick swim session. I now do some kind of activity 6 times per week. If i ever stop working on software, I'll help others train and get better to feel good and feel healthy - that's how much it gave me and i absolutely love it.

hint: optimize for training the next 20-30 years (I'm 39) which means injury prevention, recovery activities, everything else as nutrition and rest follows as you observe your own body and get in tune with what it needs. Honest good luck to you, I'm excited for you!

Agree. Also testosterone. I was lucky enough to have lab work before and after getting covid twice. My T numbers halved in less than a year. I was still within the “normal range” so it took some arguing with the doctors to get a prescription for a very low dose. Within 24 hours of starting, I felt like myself again. Brain fog was gone, energy was back, my mood rebounded. No negative side effects thus far. I had tried a lot prior to starting: intense therapy, ketamine, lots of exercise, losing weight, supplementation, lots of lab work. Nothing was as impactful as getting that jab.

Side note: the normal range for T is so wide that it’s meaningless.

The challenges here is that testosterone was found to be lower for folks with covid/long covid. So your observations add up.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-39...

> A significant proportion of male COVID-19 patients also display persistent low testosterone levels, reminiscent of absent or aberrant GnRH production, and SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to invade the brain. Taken together, these findings raise the possibility that in such patients, the GnRH system may be infected or dysfunctional, leading to the accelerated aging and cognitive deficits observed in patients with “long-COVID” or post-COVID syndrome. However, in what way and for how long GnRH neurons or their function may be affected in COVID-19 patients is still unknown.

This piques my interest because when I first started noticing these symptoms that's actually the first thing I thought of. I'm in my mid 30s and I've heard that's around when T starts to drop off. Probably worth mentioning this to my doctor eh?

Doesn’t hurt. Be prepared for resistance though. The steroid taboo means there are very few doctors in the US that are both experienced and comfortable prescribing.

I saw massive results at 1ml per month, try pitching that. The dose is so low it rules out abuse and lowers the possibility of side effects.

Re: running / activity...

I've always been a runner of sorts, but not super consistent. On average I would say I run 2-3 miles a week. But that could mean 15 miles in 1 week, followed by 2-3 weeks of low, or even zero running.

My main problem is consistency and I can only hazard a guess that its consistency that produces the really beneficial effects? Because on those weeks where I do run a lot, I generally don't feel much better. In fact, in the last 2 years I've started feeling worse. Beat down, tired, and not energized by the run.

I've recently tried going from distance running (5 miles) to speed running. I'll run two miles, in a 6:30 pace, rather than 5 miles in a 8:00 pace.

The result is actually a much more brutal feeling, with much heavier breathing, and much more soreness. But surprisingly, I actually feel a little bit of that positive feeling. I've only JUST started doing this so its too early to tell, but the really high cardio and heavy breathing seems like it may have some potential to reverse some of the negatives I've accrued.

To sum it up - I've actually always been active and I'm in good/ok shape, but I generally am not really pushing it. I run distance, not speed. I rest a lot. Maybe I'm just not active ENOUGH.

I hear you. Consistency is key. Scheduling a race few months in the future can clarify the immediate 'why' - the big picture is not the race but health. The path is the goal, really. This becomes clearer with consistent training. Like with anything, progressive overload comes naturally as consistent training builds endurance and an/aerobic capacity. You just operate at the increasing levels of effort your body and mind can handle. Consult your doctor if any health concerns arise as you progress and observe your body. Good luck, I'm off to my morning run!

When I was suffering from this I tried to hack it and what I noticed was that when I got more blood to the brain (e.g. by being upside down), it improved (for a minute or two). So that led to the brain hypoperfusion theory and then I decided to ramp up the red blood cell count to give my brain the ability to do more with less, by taking liposomal iron, lactoferrin and liposomal sublingual B12. This led to a massive boost that I could work normally for 8 hours (but had to take rest afterwards).

Do you have test results to show that your red blood cell count increased?

I've had 5 covid vaccines, and never had covid (as far as I know). My wife and kids all got it, I never did... and yes i tested a heap.

I got sick the other night, the first time I've felt sick in about 4 years... I was achey all over, I got the shiver and shakes and I was sweating non stop. I went to bed and had a very very rough nights sleep. but when i woke up I was fine.

Yet, I definitely feel like in the last 2 years my cognitive abilities have dropped. Also If I dont get at least 7 hours of sleep I'm just a zombie.

My typing accuracy and spelling has taken a massive nosedive.

physical activity is very hard... I used to cycle and do push ups etc all the time, but I'm really struggling to do a bare minimum now. It just feels harder, and I'm not getting the "buzz" or benefits I used to get.

I turn 50 this year, Its got me really concerned about my next 20 years of employability. I've given up drinking, I try very hard to get the sleep i need... but i'm just not seeing improvements.

When/if biomarkers come out, you should do a test for Long COVID. The persistence studies are pretty telling and it is very possible that lingering viral antigen may be causing these issues for you and a large chunk of the global population.

Other folks like me have more syndromic Long COVID where it affects many more organs and it is a bit more obvious that it was a direct result of a COVID infection or vaccination(post vaccination syndrome is absolutely a thing).

fine. I believe you because I am experiencing the same things.

did you eliminate depression as a possible cause? I don't know how. there is no "expert help" in my country. I believe everyone around me is faking whatever they are doing, including therapy.

another thing to note: isolation. i think my isolation level just kept increasing. i entered a hole with the lockdown and i never got out, contrary. isolation could be a cause of cognitive impairment, yes? we are social animals?

can you make any sense of what i'm saying?

p.s. also my short term memory is broken.

p.s. I am also becoming increasingly paranoid because of this apparent cognitive impairment.

Do you exercise?

I forced myself to do workout classes like it was important non negotiable work

no :-| for various reasons, invented or real: 2 big physical injuries in a sequence, depression, tv... at least 2 years of stationary life. there goes the real root of my (our) cognitive impairment, no matter how much i want to blame an external uncontrollable factor.

find a reason to walk brisky everyday, it sucks when its cold out but my dog is my reason.

The physical injuries are always challenging to work with when trying to be active. My wife deals with all kinds of tendonitis and knee and ankle setbacks.

You gotta dig real deep somehow and fight for it when you got a setback like long covid or injuries.

The obvious answer to this that I believe you already know is to check with health specialists. The part of being older and/or changing interest is another factor to take into account.

Since we are slowly understanding more things about COVID and other diseases you can also try new things and no believe 100% in what is published. Trial and error is a good problem solving skill. For example, engaging in new activities that "play" with one or more of our senses (e.g. music).

How do you distinguish the feeling of being less sharp from the psychological impact of lockdown?

Are there any studies that locking down has long term cognitive decline? Generally most of the time when I’m locked down I’m chill energy but as soon as I’m regularly out and about I’m back to normal within weeks. I’ve never heard of being unable to do extremely basic exercises after the lockdowns (which were maybe 2 weeks actual isolation if you were exposed, every other time you could still spend time outside, get groceries etc). I’ve never heard of being unable to think of words or program a single line months after a 2 week isolation.

Vaccinated three times, had it twice. The first time, no long term effects. The second time, well... I think it is getting better, but I feel you. Stuff I know I know the solution to, I know I can do in the blonk of an eye just seems to be hidden behind some wall of fog. Takes sheer willpower to get through that, then it is done in a heart beat. After that, my energy seems to be gone.

Wasn't a problem at work, for now.

Physically, well, I am low on stamina. Did hit the gym since, I don't feel like 2 hours of boxing are a particularly good idea at the moment.

Sucks, you are right. My significant other so told me it goes away, and sometimes I feel close to break through whatever that shit is. Still better of than a friends son: 10 years old, unable to follow school since October, unable to do more than 2 hours worth learning per day, unable to excercise. All this despite being fully vacinated three times, the second time Covid hit him, it hit hard. I can only imagine how it would be without vaccination...

That's interesting because after the first time I got COVID, I honestly felt OK. It was after the second time that I felt like "hmm, have I fully recovered?"

After the third time, that's when I felt for SURE I was struggling relative to before. Granted, I've had other infections over the last 3 years so it's hard to say it was all COVID.

Could be the vaccination: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9833629/