Recovered from Covid-19 but still have difficulty breathing? This doctor shares some useful exercises to try

As of late, it seems like everyone is contracting Covid-19 thanks to the more infectious Omicron variant.

While some people manage to recover with little to no symptoms, others experience issues like difficulty in breathing and sleeping. 

If you too are facing similar discomforts after recovering from Covid-19, you can consider trying some breathing exercises that a Malaysian doctor, Hadi Othman, recently shared on TikTok. 

@dr.hadiothman Sering Semput dan Letih lepas dijangkiti Covid??? #belajarbersama #tiktokguru #DoktorBius #icucovid #deepbreathing ♬ Pump It - The Black Eyed Peas

In the video, he explained that some Covid-19 survivors are experiencing such problems due to hidden damage to the lungs. 

He then demonstrated three different breathing methods — deep breathing training, long huff and short huff — that can be used to relieve the symptoms. 

For deep breathing training, the doctor said that you should take a deep breath and hold it for five seconds before slowly exhaling for another five seconds. 

Long huffs are a little different. Here, you'll need to take a deep breath and hold it for two seconds before exhaling forcefully but slowly. 

And for short huffs, all you need to do is take a deep breath, hold it for two seconds and then exhale forcefully and quickly. 

So, what is the cause of these symptoms? 

Having lingering symptoms after recovery is actually more common than we think, and the proper term for it is long Covid. 

According to TikTok user Samuel, a general practitioner who runs TikTok account Skingapore, you might have long Covid if it's been three months since your Covid-19 diagnosis and your symptoms last for at least two months. 

Not sure if you have long Covid? There are some tell-tale signs to look out for. 

A more common one is fatigue. You may also feel breathlessness on exertion, random chest or body pains, brain fog, or problems with concentration and memory. 

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Issues with your sense of taste and smell is another sign.

This is not a comprehensive list, Samuel said, adding that he only included some of the symptoms of long Covid. 

Samuel said that as of now, there is no concrete explanation on why one gets long Covid, but there are two hypotheses. 

One suggests that remnants of the coronavirus can remain in the body and in turn trigger our inflammatory response. 

The second hypothesis is that the immune system may remain at the overstimulated phase even after you've recovered from Covid-19. 

Unfortunately, at the moment, there is no treatment for long Covid. If you do experience symptoms, go to a doctor for a check-up. 

@skingapore Are you still tired 😴 mine improved only after 4 weeks. How about you? Everyone is different. #covidsg #covid19 #longcovid #singaporecovid #sgcovid ♬ GOOD VIBES - Ellen Once Again

melissateo@asiaone.com