An illness that’s infected more than 776 million people—and counting—also wreaks havoc on brain health, according to a new report based on several studies.
While many people believe and act like COVID-19 is totally behind us, more than 200,000 people have confirmed COVID cases within the last 28 days. What’s more, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), that’s actually a super conservative estimate because many countries, including the United States, have simply ceased to report any data on COVID infections.
Let’s be clear: COVID is still serious, especially for people who compromised immune systems, pre-existing conditions and potential complications. Beyond the immediate impacts and symptoms of COVID-19 (which include respiratory symptoms like coughing, congestion, chest pain and shortness of breath, plus fatigue, chills, indigestion, fever and body aches), the disease leaves real marks on the brain with each infection.
Related: These Are the 2 Most Common COVID Symptoms Doctors Are Seeing Right Now
COVID-19 Impact on Brain Health
Large-scale studies show that COVID-19 infections, especially those severe enough to warrant hospitalization, are correlated with neurological issues later on. These issues have included:
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Brain fog
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Confusion
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Anxiety
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Depression
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Trouble concentrating
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Memory loss
Related: A Huge New Study Finds This One Super-Simple Thing Can Slash Your Risk of Long COVID By Up to 50%
Brain imaging studies also showed a reduction in brain volume in participants who had COVID-19, and even patients with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 showed levels of brain inflammation with impacts equivalent of seven years of brain aging.
One of the most harrowing large-scale analyses of 11 studies of more than 1 million participants who had COVID-19 and 6 million who were not infected showed that the participants with COVID-19 ages 60 and older had an increased risk of developing dementia compared to those 60 years old and older who weren’t infected.
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How to Protect Your Brain Health From COVID-19
You’ve heard these before, but we’re telling you again: The best ways to protect yourself and your brain from the impacts of COVID-19 are getting vaccinated and boosted (which will likely lessen the severity if you do get infected), frequent testing, masking in indoor spaces, self-isolating if you’re sick and avoiding sick people. Vaccination has also been shown to reduce the likelihood of long COVID symptoms if you get infected.
Other measures you can take to protect yourself from long COVID and its brain health impacts, according to Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, include staying hydrated, sleeping seven to eight hours per night and having a healthy diet to support your immune system. You can also implement some brain health–boosting foods that neurologists swear by.
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Related: How to Tell if Your Brain Fog Could Be a Long Haul COVID Symptom