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Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain,
including significant drops in IQ scores
https://www.thehour.com/news/article/mounting-research-shows-that-cov...
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|u/OldSwiftyguy - 8 hours
|
|I do feel a little dumber after getting it twice, not like stupid,  but
|a little less quick. I can’t find the right words a lot .


  |u/MyVoiceIsElevating - 8 hours
  |
  |Brain fog?


    |u/OldSwiftyguy - 8 hours
    |
    |A little .. it also could be that I’m getting older , but it did
    |come on quick ..


      |u/Jackrabbit_OR - 6 hours
      |
      |I find recall and storing new information are my biggest hurdles
      |over the past two years.   I work in a very heavy scientific-based
      |field and I have been forgetting really basic shit that I wouldn't
      |have ever been able to before. Like, the way some of the BASIC
      |algorithms work for what I support.   And I am in my 30's.


        |u/TheDungeonCrawler - 6 hours
        |
        |I haven't found that my memory has decllined but I have found
        |that my ADHD seems to have gotten worse.


          |u/poorest_ferengi - 5 hours
          |
          |I've found my ADHD worse but also my vocabulary has dropped
          |off a bit.


            |u/Chrisboy04 - 5 hours
            |
            |It's actually really refreshing to read that. Cause I
            |thought it was just me and my increasingly bilingual
            |vocabulary throwing words out. But I do definetly recognize
            |what the comments above are saying.


            |u/TheHornet78 - 5 hours
            |
            |It could be nothing but my stuttering and forgetfulness of
            |words I want to use feels like it’s getting worse


            |u/hmbse7en - 4 hours
            |
            |Yeah the ADHD thing has become the MAIN issue in my life, so
            |many more obstacles because of it than before.  The article
            |mentioned executive function is at risk from COVID, so it
            |would track that the already impaired part of the ADHD brain
            |would feel additional strain.


              |u/the_conditioner - 2 hours
              |
              |Exactly the same for me. Fucking maddening and nothing I
              |can do about it.


            |u/EnvironmentalValue18 - 4 hours
            |
            |I’m not alone! I’ve been lowkey thinking it was a brain
            |tumor. I never tested positive for Covid but I worked the
            |whole time in a customer-facing role. It seems like,
            |recently, things are just strange. I read aloud to my kid
            |and stumble a lot when it was previously seamless. I talk
            |and words get spliced together or I just forget them.
            |Learning new things seems like a more arduous process than
            |previously, but old recall is generally fine. It’s honestly
            |crazy - the thoughts are still there but everything else has
            |taken a sharp dive.


              |u/rainbowrobin - 2 hours
              |
              |We've known that covid could cause brain damage since
              |[July 2020](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/08/
              |warning-of-serious-brain-disorders-in-people-with-mild-
              |covid-symptoms).


            |u/fuckyoudigg - 5 hours
            |
            |That is a huge thing I've noticed in the last couple of
            |years that my vocabulary has had a precipitious drop. I had
            |difficulty finding the right word. I have always had that
            |issue but it has gotten much worse.


            |u/Y-Cha - 2 hours
            |
            |Absolutely same.  My vocabulary took a huge hit, apparently,
            |and ADD symptoms that I've been compensating for, racing
            |back like I'm 20 again and both juggling full time school
            |and full time work - aka, losing my shit.


            |u/KJBenson - 4 hours
            |
            |Do you take meds for your adhd?  I haven’t in a decade, but
            |since getting Covid I was considering trying them again
            |because I find it harder to focus now more than ever.


            |u/scamlikelly - 2 hours
            |
            |Oh god, I'm glad im not the only one.  Not that I've ever
            |been well spoken, but I do feel dumbed down for sure.


            |u/tracking_down - 2 hours
            |
            |I've been having a lot of issues with stringing like two to
            |three variations of the same sentence together. I've always
            |kinda done this but it's gotten to the point where even I'm
            |like WTF am I saying. Like some sort of "are you fucking
            |sorry" type of sentences


          |u/lilelliot - 5 hours
          |
          |I don't know if it has anything to do with covid, but I will
          |say that as I've gotten older (late 40s) I have found myself
          |increasingly attuned to my body & mind, in terms of things
          |like diet, recovery, exercise, sleep, routine and patterns.
          |It feels much easier to get "thrown off" when things aren't
          |normal than it used to.


          |u/TConductor - 4 hours
          |
          |Same, but I can't tell if I'm just getting older.  The last
          |year was the first time I've had to up my dose since I was 19.
          |I was always on 15mg a day, now I've moved always the way up
          |to 40mg.  I'm 36.


          |u/similar_observation - 1 hour
          |
          |Are you experiencing any form of depression?   Some folks are
          |experiencing moderate depression following severe or long
          |covid. Depression symptoms also exacerbate attention issues.


        |u/Choyo - 4 hours
        |
        |I always had a very (VERY) good memory, but since COVID I find
        |that I have a lot of difficulty to remember some names of people
        |I know. It's rather random, I can remember perfectly some of the
        |names of my brother's highschool teachers from decades ago, but
        |have a really (REALLY) hard time remembering the name of a
        |person I worked with for several years but that I didn't see for
        |just a couple of years.    It's upsetting to lose a capacity
        |that was immediate and effortless for your whole life.


        |u/LaurenMille - 5 hours
        |
        |Oh so it's not just me?   It's been like 4 years and I still
        |have trouble learning new information.   Compared to before I
        |got Covid it's truly remarkable just how much worse my ability
        |to retain new information has gotten.


        |u/wrainedaxx - 6 hours
        |
        |I'm like you, only I'm forgetting words like "cupboard".


        |u/KS-RawDog69 - 5 hours
        |
        |It took me a good while for the brain fog to wear off, but it
        |eventually did. I was forgetting names of people I knew well
        |enough, how to do things, etc. It was a scary time. Was mid-30s
        |myself.  Hang in there, man.


        |u/leesan177 - 3 hours
        |
        |Ditto, it's like I can't remember vocabulary anymore. Or
        |people's names. Or what step of a lengthy activity I'm on
        |sometimes.


        |u/ChemicalDeath47 - 4 hours
        |
        |Also 30's but my memory was always shit, inconclusive


        |u/ImgnryDrmr - 1 hour
        |
        |I'm sometimes struggling to find words as well, on top of the
        |storing and recalling thing.  When I'm well rested I can work
        |around it, but when I'm tired I'm barely a functional human
        |being at times.


      |u/YamburglarHelper - 7 hours
      |
      |Rapid onset dementia!


        |u/Brady721 - 7 hours
        |
        |So Ive had COVID twice, and my dad died from Frontal-temporal
        |Dementia (same thing Bruce Willis has) and every time I notice I
        |forgot something, forget a name, etc my anxiety spikes.  My dad
        |was diagnosed right before he turned 62 and he had to stay in a
        |care facility until he died at 69.  Fuck dementia.


          |u/luckystrike_bh - 6 hours
          |
          |Pretty much the same thing with my mother recently. A horrible
          |thing to go through.


          |u/UndergroundFlaws - 6 hours
          |
          |I’ve had it once, and then two seizures within a 4 year
          |period. I have noticed a giant decline in my memory. I
          |struggle to find the right words, and even when I’m typing,
          |I’ll start typing random words instead of what I’m trying to
          |say. I also misspeak all the time. I’m terrified of my mental
          |state, and terrified for my future.


          |u/dancinrussians - 6 hours
          |
          |My dad also has frontal-temporal Dementia diagnosed around 60
          |and I feel the same anxiety. He’s 76 now but basically a
          |toddler who just sits and watches Disney Movies all day.


          |u/TravellinJ - 6 hours
          |
          |My friend’s husband had frontal temporal dementia and died in
          |his 50s. Fuck dementia.


          |u/C4Aries - 5 hours
          |
          |Bro my grandma and mom both started in their 50s I have
          |concerns.


          |u/trojanguy - 3 hours
          |
          |My mom died from Lewy body dementia and it was so
          |heartbreaking to go through the whole thing with her and my
          |family. I totally get that voice in the back of my head
          |telling me maybe it's dementia when I'm slow to think of a
          |word or fact. Probably just paranoia at this stage in life but
          |still, fuck dementia.


        |u/OldSwiftyguy - 7 hours
        |
        |It happens slowly and then all at once.


          |u/nvn911 - 7 hours
          |
          |Brain Cancer!


            |u/oh_hai_brian - 7 hours
            |
            |*A wiiiitch!*


        |u/Gamestop_Dorito - 7 hours
        |
        |This is an actual category of diseases


        |u/justherefertheyuks - 7 hours
        |
        |Who needs WebMD when you have the Yamburglar


        |u/Bjorn2bwilde24 - 7 hours
        |
        |Could be Lupus.


          |u/slicktromboner21 - 7 hours
          |
          |It’s never lupus.


            |u/tooclosetocall82 - 6 hours
            |
            |It was that one time.


          |u/onmywheels - 6 hours
          |
          |I've had COVID three times *and* I have lupus - guess I'm
          |fucked.


        |u/xandrokos - 5 hours
        |
        |Pretty sure I have this.  I was having issues after getting
        |covid twice but within weeks of getting covid a third time
        |everything sort of went to hell for me cognitively and it keeps
        |getting worse.   I am so fucked.


      |u/theMethod - 7 hours
      |
      |Same for me.  It also kicked up my migraines substantially, which
      |has been fun.


        |u/Jackrabbit_OR - 6 hours
        |
        |I definitely feel you on the migraines. They seem to also be
        |worse if I get even the slightest bit of a cold and I am more
        |susceptible for a week or two following.


      |u/xandrokos - 5 hours
      |
      |Repeated covid infections is causing this in younger people too.


      |u/derekneiladams - 5 hours
      |
      |Same here, hair got grayer too…


      |u/pepperoni86 - 5 hours
      |
      |Same mate. I had it twice and can’t find what I’m trying to think
      |of in my head as quick at times. I just turned 38, so I put it
      |down to maybe getting older too, but somehow I’m not so sure.


      |u/Inevitable_Seaweed_5 - 3 hours
      |
      |Everyone tells me it's just getting older, but it's a definable
      |difference pre and post covid. It doesn't really show externally,
      |but I can tell the difference. As you say, just a little harder to
      |do anything that requires brain power. 


      |u/Happy8Day - 3 hours
      |
      |Same. I noticed a MASSIVE spike in completely blaming in totally
      |normal everyday words I use very often and if I haven't referenced
      |the word or situation in the last month or two, I have a hell of a
      |time remembering it.


    |u/Few_Investment_4773 - 7 hours
    |
    |The brain fog symptom was more significant and noticeable than
    |simply forgetting things more or not being able to find the right
    |word. Those things you don’t notice until it happens, you otherwise
    |feel normal. The brain fog was an ever present feeling of haziness
    |and “I’m not like I used to be”


      |u/LADY_ANYA_TS - 7 hours
      |
      |I can't tell if it's because I'm aging and this is how my parents
      |felt at this age, or if it is a permanent deficit due to covid. Or
      |maybe honestly even the psychosocial trauma of the pandemic. All I
      |know is I don't feel the same as I used to, as you said.


        |u/RozenKristal - 6 hours
        |
        |Does cardio workout frequently help clear up? I thought
        |exercising might help somewhat


          |u/LADY_ANYA_TS - 6 hours
          |
          |I do tend to feel better after exercise!


          |u/RatherUnseemly - 3 hours
          |
          |You should avoid any strenuous exercise for 6-8 weeks
          |following a COVID infection in order to avoid Long COVID


      |u/LongDickMcangerfist - 7 hours
      |
      |Happened to me really badly for like 3 weeks after I had Covid the
      |last time before it kinda cleared up some it was like I was in a
      |fog half the day


      |u/Spew120 - 7 hours
      |
      |I’ve had it 5 times. I’m never going to be the same.


        |u/xandrokos - 5 hours
        |
        |This is why it was always stupid for people to assume if they
        |are young and healthy that covid won't be an issue for them.  
        |Covid has proven to cause culmulative damage with each
        |additional infection causing people to become less and less
        |healthy.  


          |u/LexxM3 - 1 hour
          |
          |Well, based on this research, it doesn’t sound like having
          |COVID is likely to cause them smarten up about it.


        |u/FixedLoad - 5 hours
        |
        |Five times!?  You need to stop letting people spit into you're
        |mouth.  At least be more selective.  


      |u/SirWEM - 7 hours
      |
      |More like the fuzzy feeling after a long night of partying, before
      |the hangover hits. It a great way to describe it as “haziness”


      |u/FunDog2016 - 6 hours
      |
      |Did a Long-Covid Rehab Program and the best advice from
      |Psychiatrist was: "It's ok to mourn who you used to be."   I have
      |been forever changed, I do not have the capabilities I did before
      |covid! This is my worry for others, especially the young!


        |u/EasySqueezyBreezy - 5 hours
        |
        |Would you mind sharing where this Program is? We have friends
        |whose teens got the ‘original’ COVID and they have never
        |recovered. It has been completely life-altering, even life-
        |ruining, for these kids. They are desperate and willing to try
        |almost anything. TIA


          |u/FunDog2016 - 5 hours
          |
          |The program was run from local hospital.  Waiting list was
          |about 1 year when I did it. Program availability varies by
          |region,  so seek advice locally. Family doctor, hospitals,
          |and local Health Department is best place to start.  I got
          |Covid pre-vaccine and I understand that cohort got the worst
          |of long-covid. There is unfortunately no real treatment.
          |Physicians have generally no idea how to help, they just rule
          |out different possible causes of symptoms.  They want to make
          |sure you don't die from something else!  Rehabilitation was
          |really Occupational Therapy based, with some physio and some
          |psychological support. Symptoms in the group I was in did vary
          |but there was a real shared experience that was extremely
          |important.   Only those dealing with it really understand the
          |impact, and how your life is screwed! Just knowing you are not
          |alone is huge: because family, friends and coworkers just
          |can't understand.   You look the same, there is no cancer type
          |diagnosis that people react to; you are just different,  less
          |than before. That understanding, alone can make it worthwhile
          |to do a program!  I feel for them, completely get it and wish
          |them the  best of luck!


          |u/dashboardrage - 5 hours
          |
          |can you explain their symptoms in what way it was life
          |altering/ruining? my job is to talk to people and nowadays I
          |can't even form a fucking sentence.


            |u/FunDog2016 - 4 hours
            |
            |Massive brain fog, trouble finding words, terrible memory,
            |lack of concentration/focus, and unimaginable fatigue! The
            |stories and impacts are endless! The isolation that comes
            |with all this is devastating as well!  "Why did I stand up?
            |What was I going to do? What did I come in here for?" These
            |become constant reminders of the change! Can't commit to
            |anything because you don't know if you will be able to do
            |it! My body suddenly screams at me: Lay down now, sleep now!
            |Sometimes for a nap, or maybe 16 hours, nobody knows!  And
            |NO it isn't the same thing that occasionally happens to
            |everyone.  It's constant, everyday, every hour. It is
            |impossible to hold a job, maintain family life, or have
            |friendships!   It is devastating. Today I can accomplish
            |what used to be simple errands, on the way home from work,
            |and I am done for! Nevermind putting in a full workday, nor
            |doing a the home stuff afterwards! No fun!


              |u/Minimum-Register-644 - 46 minutes
              |
              |This is scarily accurate to me. I am now on disability and
              |have to leave my near finished degree with a shitload of
              |debt and pretty much nothing to show for it.   I don't
              |know how I am going to live like this and it is so hard on
              |my partner and little one. I honestly do not know what to
              |do anymore.


        |u/18bananas - 4 hours
        |
        |Before Covid I ran 20 miles a week, climbed mountains, skied
        |20-30 days a season. Then at 27 I got Covid for the second time.
        |My physical abilities have deteriorated significantly. It comes
        |in episodes. Some days I’m pretty normal, other days  I struggle
        |to go up stairs. I’ve been through neurology, cardiology, loads
        |of bloodwork, MRI, all of it has turned up nothing. Some days I
        |can still push myself physically and other days I’m out of
        |breath while sitting down, having muscle spasms and confusion.
        |Caffeine and stress seem to make it worse, but all of this
        |testing has shown nothing out of order.   I miss being able to
        |get up on a Sunday morning and go run 8 miles. That’s when I was
        |at my happiest and healthiest and I can’t seem to get that
        |version of me back.


          |u/FunDog2016 - 4 hours
          |
          |Yep, it sucks! Best medical advice I got was: Listen to your
          |body! Of course,  with Delayed Onset Post-exertional Fatigue
          |it may not matter. Your body may just say fuck you, because of
          |something you did 2 days ago!  Best of luck!


            |u/18bananas - 3 hours
            |
            |Same to you. My doctor says there’s a ton of money going in
            |to long covid research right now and I’m holding on to some
            |optimism.


        |u/Sirknobbles - 4 hours
        |
        |Yeah I’m in my 20s and I’ve had it twice. I seriously worry
        |about my future


          |u/FunDog2016 - 4 hours
          |
          |I say fuck everyone else's opinion: protect yourself as much
          |as possible! Nevermind the personal costs to me, financially
          |it has cost me close to $1 million in lost earnings,  so far!


      |u/Hadrian23 - 7 hours
      |
      |Same man, Same....


      |u/OAMP47 - 7 hours
      |
      |I've had Covid once, over July 4th weekend in 2022 (caught before
      |the weekend, the 4th was when I was in bed hacking up a lung).
      |Retrospectively I realize for about 6 to 9 months afterwards I
      |must have had some pretty serious brain fog, but when I was living
      |it day to day it was hard to see.  What got me to realize it was I
      |tried going back and playing Morrowind for the first time in
      |August of 2022 and I like completely could not understand the
      |game.  Yeah, it's a complicated game, but I'm used to games of
      |that era, it shouldn't have been that difficult.  I spent 10 hours
      |playing and didn't complete a single quest, I was just too
      |confused.  Tried it again this summer and no problems, most fun I
      |had in a long time.  Covid really did make me dumber for awhile.
      |It wasn't just that, but I really noticed my work performance in
      |the second half of 2022 slipped too, but it's fortunately
      |recovered.


      |u/anjn79 - 6 hours
      |
      |How long did it last for you? I've had the exact same. The first
      |time lasted 6 weeks. Right now I'm on 7 weeks and counting for a
      |second go round...


      |u/GraveRaven - 5 hours
      |
      |That's what caused this? I've been struggling with most of the
      |symptoms in this thread for a few years now but never linked it to
      |Covid. I've been anxiously trying to work out what is wrong with
      |me.  It's good to finally know, but man I'm upset there's nothing
      |I can do.


    |u/BScottyJ - 6 hours
    |
    |In recent months I've been doing a lot more pleasure reading than I
    |did pre-covid and I've noticed that there are times where I straight
    |up cannot understand what I'm reading. Like I can read each word
    |fine but the point of the sentences isn't making any sense to me.
    |And I don't mean the thing where you sort of lose focus for a moment
    |and read a whole paragraph without really absorbing it, I mean I am
    |actually focusing on what I am reading but my brain just isn't
    |putting it together. It's like the picture I've been painting in my
    |head begins to melt away.  I'm only 26 so I don't really thing age
    |has much to do with it. I also had covid years ago at this point so
    |I'm not sure if it has anything to do with it, but it wouldn't
    |surprise me if there's some slight after affects


      |u/MyVoiceIsElevating - 6 hours
      |
      |Of course it’s never easy for us to tell when something minor is
      |off; it’s not like we can compare and contrast with another brain.


        |u/BScottyJ - 5 hours
        |
        |Very true. It's also possible that it's something I've had my
        |whole life and I'm only putting any thought into it now because
        |I'm doing more activities that would make it noticeable than I
        |was before.   I definitely didn't have that feeling when I read
        |for pleasure in middle and high school, but the books I'm
        |reading now are also a lot more wordy and complex so that could
        |have something to do with it.   I do think it's interesting that
        |so many people seem to be having the same shared experience at
        |varying levels. Even if mine specifically isn't due to covid I
        |wouldn't be surprised at all if there was a verifiable link
        |discovered at some point


      |u/HedonisticFrog - 4 hours
      |
      |I'm experiencing the same thing. I wonder if it's covid now. It's
      |more difficult to concentrate on things, from reading to podcasts.
      |My memory is worse as well and it used to be my strong point. I'm
      |only in my 30s, it's worrying.


    |u/SirWEM - 7 hours
    |
    |Yes i have “brain fog” after my second go with it.  It sucks.
    |Sometimes i forget I’m talking, trail off, etc constantly forget
    |shit, start to write a note about something or make a list..and get
    |sidetracked by a flitting thought or forget what i was going to
    |write.   i am glad i am a butcher because i can also rely on muscle
    |memory to do my job because i have been doing it for so long.
    |Others are not as lucky.


      |u/YetiSpaghetti24 - 5 hours
      |
      |I graduated with an engineering degree right before I caught Covid
      |in January 2022. It hit me like a truck a month later with serious
      |chronic neurological symptoms that haven't gone away. Needless to
      |say, I never looked for an engineering job and am stuck trying to
      |survive each day doing the bare minimum at my family business
      |where at least I won't get fired.  I'm stuck feeling mentally
      |disabled and incompetent at everything I used to be able to do.
      |Brain "fog" is a massive understatement. A small amount of stress
      |or mental exertion triggers severe neuroinflammation and hypoxia-
      |like symptoms that decimate my cognition and environmental
      |awareness. If I try to push through, it gets worse and worse until
      |I feel like I'm black-out drunk, dizzy, slurring my words, unable
      |to understand speech, and one of my eyebrows droops like I'm
      |having a stroke.  All the tests I've done have come back totally
      |normal. Half the country doesn't even believe Long Covid exists,
      |and now that half is in power. I'm losing hope.


        |u/HumansNeedNotApply1 - 2 hours
        |
        |Ask your doctors about ME/CFS, the diagnose will likely not help
        |you in the short term as treatment is lacking but at least you
        |will know what is going on. Either way, i hope all these long
        |covid researches provide a breakthough soon.


        |u/Solongmybestfriend - 36 minutes
        |
        |I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this :(.


    |u/Broskii56 - 6 hours
    |
    |I got serious brain fog and had no idea until people told me I was
    |making weird mistakes at work or just completely oblivious of my
    |actions in little scenarios. Leaving things open or mis placing
    |things seconds after placing them. It took about 2 months this time
    |around to get almost back to normal.


    |u/reece1495 - 6 hours
    |
    | Not encouraging it but one lsd trip  fixed my brain fog 


      |u/MyVoiceIsElevating - 6 hours
      |
      |That sounds like it could go either way.


  |u/twosidestoeverycoin - 7 hours
  |
  |Right there with you. Only 38 but definitely felt more forgetful
  |particularly in the words department… concerning. 


    |u/echolog - 7 hours
    |
    |I'll just randomly stop in the middle of a sentence because I get
    |stuck on a word sometimes. Never happened before COVID.


      |u/irrelevanttointerest - 7 hours
      |
      |Yeah this exactly for me. Just suddenly forgetting words or
      |dropping the entire rest of the sentence until I glare into the
      |middle distance for a second.


        |u/fishvoidy - 6 hours
        |
        |This started happening to me about a year ago, after I got sick
        |with Covid. I used to be really good with writing, but terrible
        |at speaking... now I struggle to find the words I need, and am
        |even *worse* at speaking. It's a little frustrating, to say the
        |least. I'm only 35.


          |u/DemiserofD - 5 hours
          |
          |Do you read much? I had that pretty bad but it's gotten a lot
          |better since I've started reading books more often. Knocking
          |all those words loose in my brain.


            |u/ScaleProfessional801 - 4 hours
            |
            |Omg. You just linked two thing in my life together and now
            |I've had a sudden realization. I've been doing exactly this
            |this year and realized I've been better with speaking and
            |remembering names and words.


        |u/TPJchief87 - 5 hours
        |
        |I start my thought feel like I have it, then when I try to
        |articulate it I don’t make sense.


      |u/Solkre - 6 hours
      |
      |I've had that bullshit my entire lift.  Recall is horrible.
      |Studying is horrible.  Memorizing is horrible.  I have yet to
      |catch covid cuz there's nothing for it to eat here :(


      |u/403Verboten - 6 hours
      |
      |I see this happening to more and more people myself included. I
      |was at a party today and noticed several people get stuck on a
      |simple word. I think we might all be permanently screwed up.


      |u/AcanthaceaeFrosty849 - 4 hours
      |
      |These are also common trauma responses. Not diagnosing, just a
      |note.


      |u/Andromansis - 4 hours
      |
      |Man, like same but instead of forgetting a word I forget I even
      |exist for a few seconds and then come back fighting to remember
      |what I was even talking about.


      |u/twotimefind - 3 hours
      |
      |Me too. I totally understand. Be kind to yourself. It's much love.


    |u/LaundryBasketGuy - 7 hours
    |
    |32 here. I frequently have to search for the word I was going to use
    |now for about 3 seconds. Have had covid twice, and I never did that
    |before.


    |u/BrightNeonGirl - 7 hours
    |
    |Same here. It's not like I was ever the most elegant and articulate
    |as I feel my strengths are more visual than verbal, but I always
    |felt fine with broadly saying what I mean (sometimes I would know
    |there was a more precise word to use but the word I would end up
    |using to approximate the idea would do sufficiently enough). I would
    |think of myself as broadly smart, like above average although
    |certainly no PhD in rocket science.  But now I struggle with
    |words/vocabulary so much that I've recently begun having the
    |discomforting consequential thought of "...oh shit am I now actually
    |dumb!?"


    |u/OldSwiftyguy - 7 hours
    |
    |I’m 54 .


    |u/AshamedChoice - 5 hours
    |
    |I know exactly what you


    |u/SirWEM - 7 hours
    |
    |Im 43 and had no issues with memory or speech or anything like that
    |till i had covid the second time. For me its forgetting words,
    |simple tasks ex. Im in the fridge grabbing a soda; my wife asks me
    |to grab her one i say ”no worries” then comeback in the room with my
    |soda and totally forget hers. Its a constant buzz/fuzzy feeling like
    |after a long night of partying before the hangover hits. It totally
    |sucks.


    |u/Salty-Obligation-603 - 4 hours
    |
    |I have long COVID, and the long COVID clinic has told me multiple
    |times that COVID is similar to a TBI.


  |u/TheNewButtSalesMan - 7 hours
  |
  |That's exactly my issue. I haven't noticed a drop in overall
  |cognition, but I struggle to find the word I'm thinking of all of the
  |time now. My vocabulary just takes more focus to utilize, and it
  |causes me to slow down and stutter more because I'm a very fast
  |talker.


    |u/IDrinkUrMilksteak - 3 hours
    |
    |I words bad now.


  |u/RelChan2_0 - 7 hours
  |
  |Omg I can relate! I always said maybe it was because I went through a
  |traumatic event during the pandemic but I have been feeling brain fog
  |since I got COVID twice. Both mild but I feel like I'm not mentally
  |100% ever since.


  |u/Jumpsuit_boy - 6 hours
  |
  |Britain did a challenge trial early in Covid. There are still results
  |coming out from it. The subjects were all young and healthy. One of
  |the tests that they ran for a year also showed something similar.
  |People that developed Covid had a small reduction in memory and
  |executive function that persisted for at least a year. Additionally
  |the people that did not develop Covid got better at the tests over
  |time as they did them again and again. The people that did have covid
  |never got better at the tests with practice.


    |u/MaybeWeAreTheGhosts - 6 hours
    |
    |so the damage is permanent?


      |u/Jumpsuit_boy - 6 hours
      |
      |We do not know. That trial ran a year.


      |u/SelirKiith - 2 hours
      |
      |At this point, all we know is that it is a long term issue... if
      |it is permanent we'll only be able to ascertain in a couple years
      |at best, if there's even enough will and funding to look into it
      |in the first place...


  |u/ThatDarnBanditx - 8 hours
  |
  |Brain foggy / empty brained myself since I got it twice


    |u/OldSwiftyguy - 8 hours
    |
    |Some of it I’m embracing . I was real type A personality (maybe a
    |little arrogant also ) now I’m kinda going with the flow.


      |u/dak4f2 - 6 hours
      |
      |I had to make this same adjustment after a concussion/brain
      |injury. It's so sad to me that even mild covid acts like a brain
      |injury. 


        |u/StubbiestZebra - 4 hours
        |
        |Yeah, I had a concussion when I was 18.   Brain fog cleared up
        |after a couple months. But I have a permanent stutter and
        |aphasia. I worked really hard to cover the stutter and work
        |around the aphasia.   Over a decade of progress. Then one bout
        |of COVID and I was basically back to where I started. Except now
        |I have regular brain fog and my lungs are shot. I was a swimmer
        |and could hold my breath for almost 2 mins. Now I can't for much
        |more than 30 seconds.   I had COVID 2 years ago...


  |u/RavishingRedRN - 7 hours
  |
  |Same. That’s exactly it. Like processing takes a little longer. I also
  |feel like get “brain tired” more easily.


    |u/Proceedsfor - 3 hours
    |
    |Sorry to hear this.  I think I had covid but I didn't had the time
    |and resources to go see and get myself tested but it was the time
    |when working from home became the norm and I'm hoping that it was
    |just a normal "flu".  Here's one interesting thought.. Those 2 covid
    |years were also times when people had massive resets in sleep
    |cycles. People still carry with them very bad sleep cycles and it's
    |a major contribution for brain fog.   Try getting alpha gpc and a
    |consistent omega fish oil noots into the system, reset caffeine
    |intake and sleep earlier and more, plus take some fitness class
    |you'll get back to normal. I don't doubt covid caused a lot of
    |slowness in many people.


  |u/littlepup26 - 6 hours
  |
  |I'm so glad I'm seeing your comment because I have had the same issue
  |after getting it a second time over a year ago. I have never had this
  |problem before, I'm only 34, but it feels like words just drop out of
  |my brain. I'll be mid-sentence and suddenly the next word I need
  |simply isn't there. It's not like it's on the tip of my tongue either
  |but somewhere much farther away, like I'm groping around in the dark
  |in my own mind. I'm a cake decorator and part of my job is mixing a
  |set list of buttercream colors to use throughout the week. I've been
  |doing this for years. The other week I couldn't think of the word
  |"turquoise," a color I have to make every single week. It wasn't even
  |like it was on the tip of my tongue, the word simply wasn't there.
  |After five minutes of trying to remember I gave up and had to ask my
  |boss to remind me what the color was called. It's really scary, it
  |doesn't feel like me.


    |u/moisheah - 4 hours
    |
    |This is how it is for me. Losing words and not “on the tip of my
    |tongue” but just not there at all. It’s an awful feeling. One mild
    |case of Covid almost two years ago.


    |u/Sudden-Echo-8976 - 4 hours
    |
    |Well... shit.  What you describe there is something which I thought
    |was the result of taking  a new medication I started taking in 2022
    |as the doctor said that it could cause issues with word recall.  But
    |what you describe is way too similar to what I am experiencing. I
    |never had symptomatic covid though.


    |u/_KONKOLA_ - 2 hours
    |
    |This is exactly how I’ve been feeling the past few years. Even
    |reading you comment, I lose my position and constantly have to reset
    |to the previous sentence. I’m only 24, I just graduated with a 3.9
    |gpa at 22, but I feel fucking stupid now. I don’t think I have the
    |same intellect I did just a few years ago and it EATS away at me.
    |I can’t carry conversations like I used to. Just like you said,
    |words are far away. Every day I notice difficult formulating
    |sentences because I just lose the words I want to say without any
    |hope of finding them. I quickly forget the point I was trying to
    |make as well. It’s like my short term memory has been significantly
    |hindered. I really hope there’s a solution because I can’t imagine
    |going on like this. I genuinely can’t.


      |u/TheMessengerABR - 40 minutes
      |
      |Hey my friend I'm right there with you. 28.   I started a new
      |fabrication/welding job Nov 2023 that I was recommended ( I
      |fucking hate this shit I know there is a word for when you
      |recommend a friend at a job and I can't fucking think of it) for
      |by a friend. I was really confident I would do great there. I shit
      |you not I struggled for months. Like making basic mistakes that
      |I've never made in my life.  Not checking important things,
      |skipping over crucial steps, just straight up reading measurements
      |wrong.   It was humiliating because I really talked myself up and
      |so did my buddy who referred (<-took me 5 mins to think of that
      |word I shit you not)me. It felt like I forgot everything I had
      |learned over the past 8 years and I was starting over.   I've
      |always been someone that takes pride in my work and quality so it
      |started affecting me to the point that I finally went to see the
      |doctor for the first time like like 3 years. I on a whim decided
      |to mention my brain fog issue, still unsure of what was really
      |happening. Long story short I was prescribed Vyvanse and it has
      |made a word of difference for me, at least while I'm on it. It
      |definitely hasn't cured my brain fog when I'm sober but it quite
      |literally erased it while I was on it. But probably most notable
      |was the amount of energy and motivation it seemed to spawn out of
      |thin air. I take it once I wake up before work, get there in the
      |morning around 6:30 feeling slow and groggy. But once it kicks in,
      |it's like the lights have turned back on.  To wrap it up before I
      |delete this because I'm forgetting the point I'm even trying to
      |make.. 1) I am worried about my dependency on this medication
      |mainly due to the fact that I know it isn't actually fixing my
      |underlying issues and 2) it does also seem to cause excess
      |anxiety/perspiration which I think is causing me to have acne
      |breakouts on my face, almost severe enough that I'm considering
      |changing medications or getting it adjusted (I'm on 50mg).   Hope
      |this helps in some way


  |u/Galaxicana - 7 hours
  |
  |I've tested positive a bunch of times. Now I catch myself constantly
  |struggling to find the words I'm looking for. And I constantly lose my
  |train of through. It's really frustrating. I'm not even 40 yet.


    |u/Cooldude67679 - 4 hours
    |
    |Im not even 22 and I’m having the same issue. I get stuck on words
    |and feel slower ever since I had it. I’ve had covid more than 4
    |times but I don’t know if that’s the real number because my body
    |doesn’t even register when I get it which terrifies me since I truly
    |don’t know how often I’ve had it.


    |u/twotimefind - 3 hours
    |
    |I totally understand. Please be kind to yourself. I know it's hard.
    |Sounds like there should be a long COVID support group. Just know
    |you're not the only one dealing with it.


    |u/JennJoy77 - 3 hours
    |
    |I'm 47 and same, and I have at least another 20 years until
    |retirement...no idea how I'll make it through.


  |u/TheFamilyChimp - 7 hours
  |
  |I definitely feel the same way after getting a couple bad bouts with
  |COVID. I'm an undergraduate and I definitely feel like my writing and
  |speaking skills have declined dramatically, and my GPA is reflecting
  |that accordingly.


    |u/QuantumKittydynamics - 4 hours
    |
    |On the flip side of things, I'm a professor, and when I got COVID
    |for the first (and hopefully only) time back in January, teaching
    |became damn near impossible. On top of all of the physical symptoms
    |I developed (tinnitus, gastrointestinal problems, etc.), I
    |just...couldn't think. My processing times increased dramatically,
    |and oftentimes I just couldn't formulate thoughts. So a student
    |would ask me a question and I would just kind of...stare
    |blankly...until coming up with something that was probably only half
    |correct.  My upper level class that semester only had five students
    |in it. With the big lecture classes it wasn't so bad, because most
    |of them are dicking around on their phones anyway. But when five
    |upperclassmen have all of their attention on you, yeaahhhh...super
    |duper NOT fun...  Hang in there, and don't be ashamed to take
    |advantage of any and all resources offered by your university. Mine
    |has a great writing center that will do proofreading of essays for
    |free, so that might be a good resource for you. And office hours,
    |office hours, office hours! Your professors are there to help you
    |succeed, and they're also human, so getting to know you personally
    |during office hours might also help them better know how to help you
    |through your individual struggles. You've got this!


  |u/silvandeus - 7 hours
  |
  |I’ve had it 6 times (work at hospital)… I might need helping tying my
  |shoes soon I guess.


  |u/scarf_prank_hikers - 7 hours
  |
  |I feel this way when speaking with people. I can tell too and I don't
  |know if I've always been this way and am just noticing, am getting
  |older and less social and out of practice of speaking or what but it's
  |been freaking me out. Writing I don't feel much different but I do
  |feel generally less creative.


  |u/kevthewev - 7 hours
  |
  |Same here, constantly forgetting what I was talking about. Never
  |happened before Covid.


  |u/Aert_is_Life - 7 hours
  |
  |Same. Words often get lost, and I can't recall things as easily.


  |u/theuberwalrus - 7 hours
  |
  |Exact same thing for me.


  |u/penmonicus - 6 hours
  |
  |I saw a thread on here talking about longterm effects and someone said
  |it can drain your vitamin B12. After struggling with brain fog for
  |ages, I felt better after taking a B12 supplement.   I mentioned this
  |to my doctor and he wasn’t really sold on it, so could definitely be a
  |placebo, but might be worth giving a shot.


  |u/redditsucks941 - 7 hours
  |
  |Same here with searching for words. Happens far too often for it just
  |to be age-related. 


  |u/NCC74656 - 7 hours
  |
  |i feel that too.  i work with electronics and where i once could keep
  |a dozen levels deep worth of circuit connections in my head while
  |troubleshooting things, visualize all the components.   now i need to
  |put in real effort to keep 3-4 deep.   i feel less able to visualize
  |things, slower on the wit, and less energy/more tired than prior to
  |covid.


  |u/thefreewheeler - 7 hours
  |
  |This is what happened after my brain surgeries. A lot of it was trauma
  |and medication, but a fair amount has lingered long-term. Never got
  |COVID though, fortunately.


  |u/aaalderton - 7 hours
  |
  |Go do some TMS, it fixed me up.


  |u/poeck - 7 hours
  |
  |Me too. I used to be really good at typing and now I suck. I can't
  |type that fast without making mistakes. Also coming up with words is a
  |big one.


  |u/Teto_the_foxsquirrel - 6 hours
  |
  |I have the same problem. I used to have a decent vocabulary. Now I
  |struggle with common words.   One of my coworkers was amused by my
  |working through figuring out the words for “paper clip”.   There’s no
  |reason I shouldn’t be able to remember what the name of a paper clip
  |is.  It’s disturbing.


  |u/SPEEDFREAKJJ - 6 hours
  |
  |This describes it perfect. I had it for 5 weeks when I got it. Was
  |very rough. Even the vaccine and boosters put me down for 2 or 3 days.
  |(I have an autoimmune disease)  For like 6 months after I was very
  |slow, forgot words, got things mixed up doing routine activities like
  |cooking. I would not say I feel dumb, like I still feel no change with
  |what I know. It's just forgetting simple words during a conversation
  |or just sometimes mixing up words. Whatever handles language feels off
  |but thinking and reasoning skills feel the same.  Just turned 50 last
  |month so I'm not like super old but over two years since I had covid
  |and it really does feel like it left its mark.


  |u/WingdingsLover - 6 hours
  |
  |I'm constantly mixing up nouns for other similar nouns now, like I'll
  |call my oven the dryer.


  |u/FromTheIsland - 6 hours
  |
  |Right? Spelling is now a big one for me, or even finding the right
  |word. Grasping for a word in the moment has been hell.   I even sort
  |of managed to live with my dyslexia, but now it feels more prominent
  |since I recovered from Covid.


  |u/J_Bright1990 - 6 hours
  |
  |I've had the same realization. I was a lot more elegant and quick with
  |my words before COVID and I'm worried that COVID stole that from me.


  |u/Vye7 - 6 hours
  |
  |I have the same thing… like word finding difficulties or I
  |mispronounce words a lot more now


  |u/Woodshadow - 5 hours
  |
  |My wife and I are in our 30s and feel like this. I don't know that it
  |is true or not but definitely have brain fog often.


  |u/Y-Cha - 3 hours
  |
  |Same.  We were very careful with our PPE, getting boosters, etc,  but
  |ended up getting it twice in as many years.  First was highly likely
  |from my own brother (who lied to us about his exposure) in 2022, and
  |next was from my spouse's coworker who kept coming in to work and
  |strewing it about (mgmt DGAF).  Terribly frustrating.


|u/davidicon168 - 8 hours
|
|I dunno if it’s age or covid but I certainly have more trouble with
|memory and focus since I got covid even though it’s been years.


  |u/Lobsterbib - 8 hours
  |
  |In my early 40s and I can state definitively that my last COVID bout
  |messed with my cognition and memory. I've always had the ability to
  |recall every actor in every movie my whole life. Since infection I
  |stumble now on the most famous of actors and film titles. Even my
  |coworkers have noticed. Going on a year now and it's been that way
  |since.


    |u/time_drifter - 7 hours
    |
    |Late 30’s here and I feel the same. I particularly struggle with
    |recalling names and tasks. I used to be razor sharp with my work
    |tasks and didn’t need notes. Now I find that I am missing things in
    |meetings, even with notes for no obvious reason.  I hadn’t thought
    |about COVID and I likely finished a bout of it in early October.


      |u/RunTimeExcptionalism - 6 hours
      |
      |Dude same. I'm a mid-30s software engineer. Before the pandemic, I
      |was sharp as hell; knew all my shit, maybe had to peek at stack
      |overflow from time to time, but after getting COVID twice (despite
      |staying on top of vaccinations), I feel like my brain is kinda
      |scrambled. I was dismissive of AI "copilots", but I find myself
      |using them more frequently because my cognition just seems
      |diminished, and it's hard to keep up to where I was even a few
      |years ago. I mean, I'm good at my job and I was promoted after my
      |bouts of COVID, but my subjective experience makes me terrified of
      |the unknown, long-term ramifications of repeated COVID exposure.


        |u/Xypheric - 3 hours
        |
        |1000% this!  I’m a web developer and since my last bout my
        |recall, memory and attention span/ focus is gone.  I got my
        |first negative job review in 12 years due to it.


      |u/alghiorso - 4 hours
      |
      |Same. I thought it was ADHD which I also have. Then I thought it
      |was a thyroid issue. Discovered I have Hashimoto's too. Though I
      |think there's a certain amount that is from covid. I have trouble
      |remembering stuff that should come to me quickly. I used to have
      |an excellent memory and was a whiz for stuff like trivia. Some of
      |my memory might have gotten better after starting treatment for my
      |thyroid but hopefully we figure something out for reversing the
      |damage done by covid. I know of some people who got really messed
      |up. A son of my parents' acquaintance went from being an FBI agent
      |to having to move back home because he couldn't drive or take care
      |of himself anymore.


      |u/HazKaz - 30 minutes
      |
      |DAmn same age here , and i thought it was part of growing old.


    |u/cheap_mom - 7 hours
    |
    |Sometimes at night I will keep myself awake trying to remember those
    |kinds of facts, but refuse to look them up because I feel like I
    |should remember and will at any moment. Eventually I cave so I can
    |sleep. It bothers me so much.


    |u/Grooviemann1 - 7 hours
    |
    |Funny enough, I've noticed the exact same issue with recalling
    |actors names. I used to be downright encyclopedic with that stuff.


      |u/PennyFromMyAnus - 7 hours
      |
      |Damn, this is what made me realize something was a little off with
      |me.


        |u/Raptor_1067 - 7 hours
        |
        |Same here. I used to be able to remember movie names based on a
        |scene I'd remember. Now, it's all gone.


          |u/jtaylor9449 - 5 hours
          |
          |Okay yeah this is freaky. This is exactly the issue that made
          |me worried about cognitive impairment. I could easily recall
          |movie and actor names faster than I could recall most things,
          |but over the past couple years, its noticeably declined.  I
          |actually assumed this was just a natural part of aging, and
          |hey it still can be, but kind of freaky im not the only one.


            |u/Raptor_1067 - 5 hours
            |
            |Right pretty crazy to see others with the same problem. I'm
            |mid 30's, and I just got promoted last year to a career with
            |more responsibilities and stress. I figured it was that at
            |first, but after a year it's still happening. Even went a
            |very large part of this year alcohol-free with a lot of
            |exercise. Still happening. I couldn't even remember Nick
            |Saban on a commercial the other day, and I enjoy watching
            |football.


              |u/otterpop21 - 5 hours
              |
              |I used to watch movies and tv shows and remember them for
              |at least a few years and rewatch just for the
              |entertainment. Now after Covid I can watch a show, and in
              |about a month I can watch it again and not remember like
              |90%. I’ll remember if I liked it or not, typically the
              |main plot points and that’s about it. I can never remember
              |exact lines, from scene to scene what happens. I’ll recall
              |as I watch it, but if you ask me before to recap, I’ll
              |literally just have a blank brain feeling.


    |u/WhatDoesThatButtond - 7 hours
    |
    |Same for me. I would have so many references to talk about. Now I'm
    |always digging for names. 


    |u/redditsucks941 - 7 hours
    |
    |Exact same thing with me and actors’ names. That’s what tipped me
    |off that Covid causes brain damage. 


      |u/odinspirit - 4 hours
      |
      |Shit, same thing with me. I used to love collecting bits of trivia
      |in my brain and I could recall rock and roll and movie trivia with
      |ease. Not anymore. I'm 54, and I was thinking it was just the
      |beginning of cognitive decline from aging, but seeing all these
      |young people describe the exact same thing has made it all clear.
      |We all got infected by a stupidity disease.


    |u/Galaxicana - 7 hours
    |
    |Omg same. I used to be a walking IMDB. Now I struggle to recall even
    |super famous names and roles. It's so frustrating.


    |u/Stoshkozl - 6 hours
    |
    |Yeah man. Me too. I want to chalk it up to getting older (late 40s)
    |but it’s too frequent. With all names, faces and $10 words too


    |u/4RichNot2BPoor - 5 hours
    |
    |My memory has noticeably declined the last couple years especially.
    |I use to be bad with names now people I’ve interacted or worked with
    |on several occasions draw a blank.


  |u/Lucieddreams - 8 hours
  |
  |Same here and I'm only 26


    |u/Admirable-Fall-4675 - 7 hours
    |
    |Fuck man, sorry.


      |u/Lucieddreams - 7 hours
      |
      |Eh it's alright we make do, but I'm definitely bringing this post
      |up to my therapist next week 😂  Take care of yourself, sorry to
      |hear that we have noticed and felt the same issues


    |u/letsmakepeace - 4 hours
    |
    |I am 29 and have gotten COVID twice (and most likely a third time)
    |even though I was boosted. I believe I have undiagnosed anxiety and
    |ADHD that have gotten really bad. But the main problem is not being
    |able to recall things, mixing up my words, and having major brain
    |fog. I’ve been in graduate school for the past 4 years and working
    |at the same time - I recall being more snappy in the beginning. I’m
    |just not the same anymore and I’m scared.


      |u/Lucieddreams - 4 hours
      |
      |It's been the exact same for me! Heavy brain fog, absent-
      |mindedness, slow thoughts, tripping over words, and horrible
      |anxiety over not being able to have confidence in the things I say
      |or do (for those reasons). I've also had covid 3 times and had
      |lasting effects for 2 years. And the one that I still have to this
      |day is my worsened asthma.  I struggled with my fair share of
      |anxiety before it all happened, but I always knew deep down that
      |covid was the reason that things shifted. It was just always in
      |the back of my head, and when I saw this post it reaffirmed those
      |thoughts.   It's a scary feeling. I used to feel snappier too.
      |Hang in there, there's a lot of us out here who feel this way and
      |for me at least, it feels it's gotten slightly better over time.
      |Therapy helped a lot, and life has gone on for better or worse.
      |Things really have improved over time though and I believe it will
      |continue to improve. Don't be afraid to reach out for help, it's
      |easy to get stuck in those thoughts and I don't want you to halt
      |your life for them. It will be okay


  |u/JamUpGuy1989 - 8 hours
  |
  |Same.  Although my dad has some memory issues so maybe it’s just my
  |genes.


  |u/Un4giv3n-madmonk - 8 hours
  |
  |early 30s, same


  |u/scarf_prank_hikers - 7 hours
  |
  |Yeah, you told us that three times already.


|u/ShadowWolfKane - 7 hours
|
|My mom hasn’t been as sharp since she got it, 3 years ago. She’s still
|getting nausea, brain fog, memory isn’t as good as it used to be.


  |u/UofMtigers2014 - 2 hours
  |
  |My mom has terrible short term memory and is showing all the signs of
  |dementia. However, all testing for dementia, stroke, or other typical
  |diseases that are causing these symptoms are turning up negative.


    |u/Minimum-Register-644 - 42 minutes
    |
    |I also got sent for a bunch of these tests as my cognitive abilities
    |have just vanished. All things came back clear and I am just out of
    |ideas as to what I can even do about it. I am only 34 and I got it
    |for the first time at 31-32ish.


  |u/Lolkac - 2 hours
  |
  |I wonder if someone can get smarter after covid? My mom had brain fog
  |and bad memory before covid, now she remembers everything and is
  |studying new language with really impressive results.


  |u/Nightcrawl-EUW - 3 hours
  |
  |same, my mom was never the same after having it


  |u/eunderscore - 2 hours
  |
  |It crazily accelerated my mum's dementia. She was living...OK...by
  |herself in early 2020, got a uti, went to hospital, got covid, got
  |covid two more times, showing no symptoms on any occasion, never went
  |home again, and by a year later she was mentally gone.   Took until
  |early 2022 for her to pass though, by which point she had no idea what
  |was going on.


  |u/farfarastray - 1 hour
  |
  |My mother hasn't been the same since Covid either. Same symptoms, she
  |also had trouble catching her breath for about a year after when
  |taking walks.


  |u/herodothyote - 2 hours
  |
  |I had covid brain fog too.  It got better thanks to Vitamin D3 + K2,
  |magnesium, potassium and B vitamins. Covid is extremely stressful on
  |the body and it WILL worsen any deficiencies you may have already have
  |had. It doesn't help that EVERYBODY has a magnesium and a potassium
  |deficiency that gets worse as they grow older.  Magnesium is stored in
  |the bones and takes a WHOLE ASS YEAR to replenish after a deficiency.
  |Potassium is also aways a problem because humans need HUNDREDS of
  |bananas worth of potassium to meet their RDA! You have to eat FIVE
  |CUPS OF LEAFY GREENS just to get SOME of your RDA. That's why
  |everybody is deficient in potassium.  Lots of brain fogs and energy
  |problems can improve if you fix your vitamin and mineral/nutrient
  |deficiencies.  Here's what I take in one day: 1 airborne fizzy
  |vitamin, 1 body armor electrolyte powder, both in the morning. As well
  |as CoQ10 for energy, metabolism and heart health. All of these morning
  |supplements give me an incredible boost in energy.  With dinner I take
  |zinc, vitamin d3 + K2, as well as magnesium glycinate. Taking these at
  |night helps immensely with my sleep quality. I feel SO well rested
  |after I started actually supplementing.  Of course, none of this will
  |work unless you ALSO pair it with high quality foods with plenty of
  |fat and protein. Lack of fat and not enough protein and too many carbs
  |are making us lazy and stupid.     Anyways, take care of yourself
  |people and STOP EATING GARBAGE FOOD.


|u/twirlingmypubes - 8 hours
|
|After getting it 3 times, I can attest that everyone else got dumber.


  |u/Vecna_Is_My_Co-Pilot - 8 hours
  |
  |Thank the gods.  I needed something to explain my own incompetence.


  |u/disposableaccountass - 5 hours
  |
  |In like the last 4 years so many people got so fucking dumb, they
  |voted the guy that originally let it run rampant back.


  |u/gizamo - 6 hours
  |
  |I got it once, vaccinated, and boosted a few times.           I can
  |confirm that many people got dumber.           Point and case, Trump
  |is president again.


  |u/KILLALLEXTREMISTS - 4 hours
  |
  |I've never had it so I'm smarter than all of you!


|u/unnameableway - 7 hours
|
|I definitely can’t hold things in my head as well. Tasks, concepts in
|conversation. I’ll be talking to someone about something and literally
|just forget mid conversation what we are talking about.


  |u/EnvironmentalValue18 - 4 hours
  |
  |I have this same issue! And then it’s so embarrassing - how do you
  |even recover from just losing your entire concept *mid-sentence*.
  |Relieved it’s not just me.


    |u/munchauzen - 2 hours
    |
    |"I'm sorry, I just got distracted and totally lost my train of
    |thought. What did I just say?"  it works surprisingly well


  |u/EliselD - 2 hours
  |
  |I used to have the same problem, but it turned out I had ADHD and my
  |symptoms got worse during covid. Now I'm doing better than ever


  |u/vvownido - 2 hours
  |
  |ive always been like that tbh so i cant tell if covid changed anything


|u/ginger_ryn - 8 hours
|
|my memory is worse, my focus is worse


  |u/Brief_Koala_7297 - 2 hours
  |
  |Same, feels like my cognitive ability is not where it was before I got
  |covid. Getting older and becoming less attractive was not something I
  |worried about but losing your mental faculties bit by bit is something
  |that is hard for me to live with. I hope it doesn’t get worse.


|u/Moneyshot_ITF - 8 hours
|
|Brain fog was brutal following covid. It mostly left though


|u/1egg_4u - 7 hours
|
|This isnt a surprise imo  We had plenty of evidence that covid was
|impacting blood supply/epithelial cells and that it was observed
|crossing/altering the blood-brain barrier   This is why it should have
|been crucial to drill it into the extra thick skulls that obtusely
|thought "natural immunity" is better that death isnt the only outcome of
|getting sick and getting sick causes damage to your cells  "Just a flu"
|doesnt matter because you shouldnt want to get the flu, let alone a
|novel pandemic virus that we dont even know the full consequences of.


  |u/wyvernx02 - 6 hours
  |
  |>Just a flu" doesnt matter because you shouldnt want to get the flu
  |People who say that are the ones that call any bad cold the flu and
  |don't understand how deadly the actual flu can be. I had H1N1 back
  |during the outbreak around 15 years or so ago and even being young and
  |fairly fit it felt like I was dying it was so bad. My cases of covid
  |were mild in comparison.


    |u/aure__entuluva - 6 hours
    |
    |>  I had H1N1 back during the outbreak around 15 years or so ago
    |That was still the sickest I've ever been in my life.  Didn't get
    |covid though (or was asymptomatic).


    |u/TonyNickels - 4 hours
    |
    |H5N1 is kicking off now, just when the people who deny germs exist
    |are taking back power. That shit has me on edge.


      |u/xandrokos - 4 hours
      |
      |We got lucky with covid but that isn't going to be the case with
      |H5N1.    If we get another pandemic during the next 4 years the
      |death toll is going to be catastrophic.


        |u/Renmarkable - 42 minutes
        |
        |especially as we know covid has damaged immune systems leaving
        |us more vulnerable


    |u/papoosejr - 3 hours
    |
    |The flu can be fucking wild. Last couple times I had it I was half
    |conscious in a dream world for 3 days straight


    |u/stompinstinker - 2 hours
    |
    |People forget how crazy influenza is.  They start calling bad colds
    |flu, but actual influenza is two weeks on the couch.


    |u/MatttheBruinsfan - 2 hours
    |
    |Even run-of-the-mill flus are so much worse than colds. Sore throats
    |and congestion aren't fun, but aside from the unpleasantness my
    |brain is still working normally and I have the energy to get stuff
    |done even if I feel crappy while doing it. The exhaustion and
    |feverish fuzzy-headedness of flus are pretty incapacitating by
    |comparison.


  |u/rainbowrobin - 2 hours
  |
  |Brain damage was observed by July 2020.
  |https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/08/warning-of-serious-
  |brain-disorders-in-people-with-mild-covid-symptoms


  |u/xandrokos - 4 hours
  |
  |This is going to overwhelm healthcare systems in a few years as people
  |get older and sicker and have more complicatons from covid not to
  |mention the increased demand for government aid.    Doesn't help Trump
  |and his fuckwit administration want to gut SS/medicare/medicaid when
  |if anything we need to be investing more into it.


  |u/SleepingWillow1 - 2 hours
  |
  |It's this the real reason for the U S. election results?


|u/BaconBusterYT - 6 hours
|
|I hate how we keep “finding out” the same things about covid over and
|over again and yet there’s no nationwide effort to fix our air quality
|in hospitals/schools or get people to wear masks when they’re sick (or
|even when they aren’t). Instead we got the president telling people that
|the pandemic was over and now no one wants to think about it as it
|continues to tear through us. Fucking hell


  |u/Ok-Manufacturer-5351 - 3 hours
  |
  |I wear mask and get side eye from most people like I am an alien, some
  |people tell me that COVID is gone why are you still wearing mask? Even
  |in COVID I saw people wearing mask and remove it before sneezing or
  |coughing so not to ruin their mask...  Even today some people
  |intentionally start coughing for lols when they see me wearing a mask
  |and I'm near them. Most people don't want rules to apply to them
  |cannot fix them.


  |u/twotimefind - 3 hours
  |
  |Right. Totally destroyed any faith I had left in the government.


    |u/Snoo_57488 - 3 hours
    |
    |More like in humanity. The government could try to do something but
    |half the country would scream hoax or conspiracy and say they’re
    |like filtering out chemtrails or some shit.


      |u/dasunt - 1 hour
      |
      |It's a weakness in democracy.  Take something that's relatively
      |low risk but still dangerous that people don't want to stop doing.
      |There's then an advantage to tell people that they should keep
      |doing it to appeal to them.  Either to sell something or to get
      |elected.  An historic example would be indoor smoking bans.  Those
      |were controversial when first proposed, and there was plenty of
      |push back originally.  It took shifting values to get where we are
      |at today.


|u/twotimefind - 8 hours
|
|I don't need no brain scientist to tell me that. I used to not have to
|keep notes now. I'm lost without a notepad. It's frustrating to say the
|least. I'm super frustrated, but I've been willing to be kind to myself.
|I decided that quite a bit ago.   Masked up and still got COVID four or
|five times. Three of the times we're in the last two years.


  |u/96puppylover - 8 hours
  |
  |I take written notes when I watch tv now. I write down everyone’s
  |names, what they look like, major plot points and dialogue. I
  |literally cannot absorb information like I used to.


    |u/LaurenMille - 5 hours
    |
    |I got covid right as I had to quit my previous career for health
    |reasons.   4 years later I still haven't managed to finish basic
    |certification for my new career path because I simply cannot seem to
    |retain new information.   Honestly it's just bringing back suicidal
    |thoughts whenever I even think about studying. Yet at the same time
    |I can't exactly keep doing my current work either because it just
    |exhausts me too much mentally.   All in all, it's a bit of a bummer.


      |u/xandrokos - 4 hours
      |
      |This is what terrifies me right now.   I spent my entire adult
      |life in retail management and since covid I can't deal with retail
      |anymore so I was planning on going back to college for IT but I am
      |not sure I will be able to complete a degree.


        |u/LaurenMille - 3 hours
        |
        |Similar to me then. I spent my adult life in administrative
        |roles but due to some issues with my eyes I can't really read on
        |paper for extended periods of time.   Considering admin roles
        |still use paper in 99% of things, that ended my career.   So I
        |tried to change over to an IT role considering I'd been building
        |computers and writing little scripts/tools since I was like 12.
        |Despite having decades of experience, I can't even retain
        |information that I should already know, let alone new
        |information that I need to learn.


  |u/k_ironheart - 7 hours
  |
  |Reading all these comments from people that have suffered cognitive
  |impairment from covid and they're just... you all are describing my
  |normal everyday experience with ADHD.   I'm really sorry, it sucks.
  |Maybe reading/watching up on some ADHD coping tips will help.


    |u/wyvernx02 - 6 hours
    |
    |I have ADHD and have had covid 3 times. I had the mild brain fog and
    |lack of focus before, but it got significantly worse post covid.


      |u/ronniesaurus - 1 hour
      |
      |Same. Well number of times unsure. One confirmed. Likely twice.


      |u/Aiyon - 41 minutes
      |
      |I’ve only had covid once, but I went from able to function pretty
      |normally Unmedicated, to having a hard time focusing through a 20
      |minute meeting.   Used to be if I had something to idly do with my
      |hands, I could keep myself listening. Now, someone addresses me
      |and I just kinda blankly look at them like I’ve never heard words
      |before  Pair that with feeling genuinely dumber since it, and I
      |keep worrying that work is gonna notice I’ve got worse at my job


    |u/Pete_Iredale - 6 hours
    |
    |For real, especially having adhd and aging a bit.


    |u/32FlavorsofCrazy - 5 hours
    |
    |I have ADHD and MS. My brain is totally fucked anyway…bring it on, I
    |guess. I probably had Covid at least once but never got a positive
    |test. The one time I’m pretty confident was Covid because I was so
    |horrendously ill but they wouldn’t test me at the time because I
    |hadn’t traveled or gotten a known exposure, it was really early on
    |and not enough tests were available cuz Trump sent them to Putin,
    |apparently. I used to be pretty smart but I have definitely noticed
    |some cognitive decline the past few years. Not sure what’s to blame
    |but it hardly matters at this point. Now RFK wants to take away half
    |my meds that treat my multitude of health issues, so that’s just
    |swell.


    |u/kndyone - 6 hours
    |
    |Covid gives ADHD confirmed!


    |u/twotimefind - 2 hours
    |
    |Unfortunately I already have ADHD but was able to Managing pretty
    |well with It's set routine in a good diet and healthy sleep
    |habits... Now it seems to be in  overdrive. I need to constantly
    |tell myself to stay on task, even while doing dishes.


  |u/BibliophileMafia - 5 hours
  |
  |What kind of mask are you using?


  |u/mlennox81 - 6 hours
  |
  |I’ve had it twice only (I think? Maybe 3 times) both fairly mild and
  |it’s been about 2 years since my last time having it. My memory is
  |just awful compared to what it was. I’m only 30 but wow I have
  |projects that I’ll spend a full two weeks on at work and 3 months
  |later have trouble recalling a single detail about them. I misplace
  |stuff often now, or as other have said can struggle to come up with
  |names like of a well known actor or such. Others around me including
  |my wife haven’t really noticed much of a difference, I was fortunately
  |a pretty bright guy to begin with so I guess that helps, but damn does
  |it make me feel stupid. I used to be the type of person that would
  |remember your phone number or address if you told it to me maybe
  |twice.   The other part that has been really tough for me is a few
  |months pass and I’ll remember say that weekend we went to the beach
  |but I would have trouble telling you if it was in June, July or
  |August. It’s making time blur together and pass by really fast. I try
  |not to dwell on it too much, it makes me too upset.


  |u/Krolex - 6 hours
  |
  |Any correlation to vaccinated vs not?  Sorry to hear :(


    |u/rainbowrobin - 2 hours
    |
    |Unvaccinated people at at higher risk.


|u/thejawa - 8 hours
|
|I never "officially" got COVID but got sick as a dog the January before
|it became publicized, and I live in Central Florida which has high
|tourist rates. My symptoms included becoming short winded easily,
|alongside being effectively bedridden for a few days. I've since gotten
|all the boosters and haven't been diagnosed with COVID at any point, but
|since that illness I can only describe what happens to me as being
|"empty" when trying to think of certain things. I can eventually process
|what I'm trying to think of but I'll start a train of thought and
|somewhere along the way there will just be a blank space that I can't
|fill for a bit. This happens very frequently - multiple times a day -
|and I've never felt like it was an issue until the past 3ish years.
|Granted, I'm pushing 40 and my family has a history of dementia, so
|maybe it's age related and this story is all anecdotal anyways. But I
|wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it was inevitably linked to
|lingering effects from COVID.


  |u/Phixionion - 8 hours
  |
  |This. I don't think we have cracked the surface of what Covid really
  |did to us. I feel like I get brain fog or farts a lot since Covid hit.
  |I just don't think the same depth I did before.


    |u/thejawa - 7 hours
    |
    |The biggest hit I've noticed is - oddly - remembering song/movie
    |titles or famous people's names. I used to be able to quote a movie
    |or something and if someone asked who said it, I could usually
    |always respond where it came from immediately. Now, I still remember
    |the quotes or whatever themselves fine, but when I try to recall
    |where it came from I go completely blank. I have to work my way
    |backwards from like "It was that movie where they stole a bunch of
    |cars, and I think it had Nic Cage in it..."   Shit even typing it
    |out just now, I can't pull the name of that movie even though I know
    |exactly what movie I'm referring to.  Edit: Gone in 60 Seconds.
    |Thanks iMDB, you're always there for me now.


      |u/WhatDoesThatButtond - 7 hours
      |
      |This is hilarious because we either are all just getting older or
      |all noticed a skill we no longer have. 


        |u/ironstamp - 7 hours
        |
        |Yep, it’s weird how all this reads as if it was exactly me
        |saying it.


    |u/7URB0 - 3 hours
    |
    |> I don't think we have cracked the surface of what Covid really
    |*did to us*.  ***Is*** doing to us. Is *continuing* to do to us.
    |It's not *over*. It didn't *end*. It's as widespread as it ever was.
    |The second-highest peak was *this. year*.  The government and media
    |told us to go back to normal, and for reasons I *still* can't fully
    |fathom, most people *did*. And left the rest of us pulling our hair
    |out, wondering wtf happened to our friends, our neighbors, the
    |world...  And there's been evidence of covid attacking IQ levels for
    |*years* now. Most people don't seem to go looking for this
    |information on their own, and the people who own this world aren't
    |in any hurry to tell us. Not while there's money to be made in our
    |suffering.


  |u/video-engineer - 8 hours
  |
  |My dad (90yo) died in Feb of 2020.  He was at an assisted living
  |facility here in CF.  His doctor gave him tests for flu and pneumonia,
  |but they all came back negative. At the time, we were only hearing
  |about a flu outbreak in Seattle. But all my dad‘s symptoms turned out
  |to be identical to Covid. He must’ve been infected sometime in
  |January.


  |u/yain77 - 7 hours
  |
  |I believe it was floating around before it hit pandemic size. I was in
  |the hospital for heart failure end of June '19, and had regular
  |checkups ever 2 to 3 weeks for 3 months after. About somewhere mid
  |August-mid September, I lost both sense of smell and taste for at
  |least a week or so. Asked my docs about it,  thinking it could been
  |the medicine they had me on. Both tell me to ask the other, since they
  |had no ideal at the time.


    |u/ShowMeYourRivers - 7 hours
    |
    |I think this is the case too. My brother had a really bad cough for
    |months, and went to numerous doctors who couldn’t give him a true
    |diagnosis other than “this seems like bronchitis, but it’s not. We
    |don’t really know”. shortly after his cough, my mom got sick.
    |Usually even at her worst, will keep living life. She couldn’t get
    |out of bed for almost two weeks - I’ve never seen her hit so hard.
    |Then I got sick a week or so later, also so sick I couldn’t get out
    |of bed. This was around September/october 2019


  |u/plutoforprez - 4 hours
  |
  |My manager swears to god her husband had Covid in regional Australia
  |in October 2019. She said he and his coworkers at a restaurant all
  |came down with a mystery disease with cold-like symptoms after one of
  |them caught a plane in from Japan, that the doctors couldn’t identify
  |what it was. I am fairly skeptical, that last part in particular makes
  |me doubtful, wouldn’t they have been at least be able to identify it
  |as a variant of SARS? But it’s not beyond the realms of possibility.


|u/cptnringwald - 8 hours
|
|I caught it for the first time this year and it was a doozy. I am and
|have been fully vax'd since they were available and this did a number on
|me. Since then, I've seriously struggled at work and with focus.  I feel
|dumber, I can't solve problems like I used to, and things have to be
|explained to me way more than before.  So I buy this theory


  |u/taatchle86 - 7 hours
  |
  |I don’t think I ever got COVID. Due to an anxiety disorder I’m mostly
  |a shut-in and I keep up to date with my shots through the VA (though
  |I’ve been sent to Walgreens to actually get it administered).


|u/LeapIntoInaction - 7 hours
|
|Yes, I've noticed. I can't focus as well, my train of thought may get
|lost, and I feel like a bit of an idiot. Fortunately, I had some IQ to
|spare and am retired. My loss is basically only personal, and I know
|some good compensation techniques.  I still feel like an idiot but, I
|aintent dead yet.


|u/GabuEx - 7 hours
|
|It does seem like you basically roll 2d20 and consult a lookup table to
|figure out what the permanent effects of getting COVID-19 are.  My
|husband got it and now has an extremely lessened tolerance to spicy
|food.  Which is not by any means the worst outcome, but it's still very
|weird.


  |u/AbbeyOfOaks - 4 hours
  |
  |I had that spicy food intolerance for about a month and a half. It
  |went away suddenly one weekend and I've been fine ever since.
  |Hopefully that's true for your husband too.


  |u/rainbowrobin - 1 hour
  |
  |> t does seem like you basically roll 2d20 and consult a lookup table
  |Pretty much.  That virus infects via ACE2 receptors, which are
  |expressed by pretty much every organ in your body.  It only _needs_ to
  |infect your nose and lungs to spread, which is why it can spread so
  |fast, like a cold or flu.  But virus wandering into other parts of
  |your body can damage any other organ, unlike most cold viruses (which
  |only use respiratory-cell receptors.)  So every infection really is
  |playing Russian roulette with your organs.  Or "random hit location".


|u/Chicki88 - 7 hours
|
|I got long Covid the second time, I lost the ability to do math in my
|head, and kept forgetting names, along with other symptoms. My most
|recent bout left me a little brain foggy as well. I really feel like
|it’s done some permanent damage.


  |u/CatDaddy_99 - 7 hours
  |
  |I've lost the ability to do mental math as well, used to be one of the
  |few things i was good at now stuggle when adding up a tip.  It's been
  |3 years and no improvement, idk if it will ever come back.


    |u/WRB852 - 5 hours
    |
    |I was just thinking about this today. Have you guys tried practicing
    |at all? I only have a little bit, but it doesn't seem like it's very
    |helpful.  I used to be able to "feel" the numbers in my head, but
    |now it feels like they're just unrecognizable blobs that like to
    |disappear and never come back.  It seems that specifically
    |"identifying" things is the part that's not working right, and that
    |my mental math would still work fine if not for that.  edit: Just
    |had a few more thoughts to add (no pun intended)  Assuming I'm right
    |about misidentifying quantity, then perhaps remedial arithmetic
    |isn't directly beneficial, and instead we should maybe turn our
    |attention to counting? Do you guys also struggle now with counting
    |objects in clusters? I've noticed that when I need to count 10-20
    |things in a row, my mind really struggles with keeping track of what
    |I've already counted.  I remember the method was always to group and
    |"write off" blocks of objects at a time. I'd recognize five here,
    |four here, etc and then just add them all up. Now it seems that when
    |I try to say "that is 4", the value fails to become stored in my
    |mind correctly. Instead of 4, I'll sense something that feels more
    |like "maybe 3".  It's so strange because I can't remember "maybe 3"
    |ever really being a concept that would cross my mind before! It's
    |like my brain doesn't even know what to do with something so
    |ridiculous.  Can anyone else relate?


      |u/mysterioussamsqaunch - 1 hour
      |
      |Sort of, I'm disabled with long covid. I got sick in oct of 2020,
      |I was able to struggle along for a bit over a year before
      |everything got bad enough that my doctors had me stop working. I
      |think I kind of get what you're saying. For me, I think of it like
      |being stuck going "uuuuhhhhh." Like the I just get stuck between
      |thoughts. It also kind of reminds me of the times in my life when
      |I've had extreme pain, and the only thing you can think of is the
      |pain. I have actually been prescribed a stimulant that is used to
      |treat narcolepsy. Since I've started that my thoughts have become
      |like logical again. I actually noticed the benefit first while out
      |to eat. I was able to calculate the tip and total in my head. I
      |hadn't even really realized I had stopped doing that. I'm still
      |not how I used to be. If I have to figure out complex things I
      |still have to write more things down than I used to, I stumble
      |over my words alot, and on bad days, I just avoid difficult tasks,
      |but I feel like I'm thinking again.


        |u/killrwr - 32 minutes
        |
        |I love that, keep taking it day by day. Proud of you.


|u/ether_mind - 8 hours
|
|Maybe this can explain why we re-elected Trump.


  |u/4ourkids - 8 hours
  |
  |That and increased CO2 levels, which also causes cognitive impairment.
  |Idiocracy here we come!


    |u/restore_democracy - 8 hours
    |
    |And many of his voters ate lead paint as kids.


      |u/Billy3the_Mountain - 8 hours
      |
      |And not enough electrolytes.


        |u/nik282000 - 6 hours
        |
        |It's what plants crave!


      |u/ReverendDizzle - 5 hours
      |
      |I learned something rather fascinating just this year.   When
      |children are exposed to lead almost all of the lead is stored in
      |their bones as the calcium formation locks the lead away. It will
      |still cause neurological problems, no doubt, but a good portion of
      |it ends up in the bones.   It stays locked up there for most of
      |the exposed person's life... until they begin to lose bone density
      |in old age. Then the lead is released into the body again.   And,
      |damn, if *that* doesn't explain a lot I don't know what does.


      |u/Dio_Frybones - 6 hours
      |
      |I'm an electronics tech and had been known to use my mouth as a
      |third hand while soldering  - to hold the solder.  And I'd never
      |vote for Trump. Sure, I'm Australian, which also plays a part in
      |not voting for Trump, but that's beside the point.


      |u/jtinz - 2 hours
      |
      |We also had leaded gas back then. But I'm not sure the younger
      |generations are doing any better.  Edit: [Numbers:](https://www.st
      |atista.com/statistics/1535288/presidential-election-exit-polls-
      |share-votes-age-gender-us/) They're not quite as bad.


    |u/Stompedyourhousewith - 7 hours
    |
    |Go away, I'm batin'


      |u/tonycomputerguy - 6 hours
      |
      |I like money.


        |u/DemandZestyclose7145 - 4 hours
        |
        |I can't believe you like money too. We should hang out.


    |u/RaffyGiraffy - 7 hours
    |
    |I just showed my husband this movie tonight! It was too close for
    |comfort 😑


      |u/SilverBack88 - 6 hours
      |
      |You mean documentary


    |u/Crazy_Idea_1008 - 8 hours
    |
    |More likely the airborne mercury-oxide contaminants that the EPA
    |scrapped under trump. Which do in fact crater iq.


    |u/Rado_Dad - 7 hours
    |
    |Brawndo! It's what plants crave


    |u/igloofu - 7 hours
    |
    |> Idiocracy here we come!  You know, Tasty Gatorade and Carl's Jr
    |all the time (and no one was fat!?), handjobs at Starbucks, life not
    |really mattering if you fail...I can see worse futures.


    |u/RepresentativeRun71 - 7 hours
    |
    |Brought to you by Carl’s Jr.


    |u/jda06 - 3 hours
    |
    |So rare to see this in the wild. I keep waiting for a long form
    |piece or for it to go viral that we are all literally a little
    |dumber from the increased CO2 and it’s only going to get worse and
    |worse. I don’t think the average news consumer has been told this.


  |u/Minimalistmacrophage - 8 hours
  |
  |Possibly a factor, though things like misinformation, CNN moving to
  |the right acting as both platform and arguably validation for right
  |wing misinformation, Inflation being blamed on Biden, etc.. all played
  |a role.


    |u/xandrokos - 4 hours
    |
    |Cognitive issues literally make it easier to get people to fall for
    |misinformation.


    |u/edwartica - 3 hours
    |
    |I also wonder if ease of voting (or lack there of) had an impact on
    |the election. More states were willing to do vote by mail in 2020
    |than in 2024.


    |u/sexygnome - 1 hour
    |
    |All the constant gaslighting from Russia


  |u/Valdotain_1 - 7 hours
  |
  |Also explain Trump’s 2 hour long unfocused monologues.


  |u/johnjohn4011 - 8 hours
  |
  |For some reason, I can't seem to shake the feeling that we actually
  |didn't. Just a feeling, but it's persistent.....


    |u/posthuman04 - 7 hours
    |
    |I would doubt it but after the right wing billionaires bought all
    |the major media in America and seemed to go to any available lengths
    |to normalize a fraud, felon, rapist, insurrectionist, dictator
    |wannabe… I don’t think Americans were prepared to see through that
    |much bs.


      |u/bagoink - 5 hours
      |
      |It was too much bs for their COVIDed brains to process.


    |u/juicyfizz - 8 hours
    |
    |Yeah I’m with you. I can’t shake it. Maybe it’s denial, idk. The
    |whole vibe is really weird right now.


      |u/Light_Beard - 7 hours
      |
      |Occam's Razor. The simplest answer is usually the correct one. I
      |think it is far more likely that people were apathetic and did not
      |vote and that people voted against their own self-interest again
      |and again and again as usual. Rather than there being some kind of
      |grand conspiracy. A small conspiracy I could see. But this really
      |wasn't even close


        |u/Stompedyourhousewith - 7 hours
        |
        |I think it's the guy who says the election is in the bag and
        |keeps projecting that the election will be stolen, who
        |incidentally was convicted of fraud, and going to stand trial
        |for election interference but managed to run out the clock,
        |argued that presidents couldn't be tried, that they're immune,
        |that ex presidents can't be tried, and got back into the White
        |House so they can be immune again, and have all the charges
        |against them dropped. Staying out of prison is a powerful
        |motivator


        |u/ZedCee - 7 hours
        |
        |"We don’t need votes. We have to stop — focus, don’t worry about
        |votes.”  “You don’t have to vote.  Don’t worry about voting. The
        |voting — we got plenty of votes.”


        |u/RedComet313 - 7 hours
        |
        |I mean, wouldn’t the simpler answer in this case be that the guy
        |who was getting in trouble for election interference… interfered
        |again?


          |u/Scarbane - 5 hours
          |
          |It would be the simpler answer if there was a mountain of
          |evidence, but there isn't a mountain of evidence.  Trump won
          |and I hate that, but we have to move on and figure out how to
          |win voters over in the 2026 mid-terms. I'm not interested in
          |conspiracy theories that "feel good" without evidence - that's
          |MAGA behavior.


            |u/ThePurpleKnightmare - 4 hours
            |
            |There is so much evidence! Elon Musk was cheating in broad
            |daylight for everyone to see with his voter scam. Russian
            |Bomb Threats and Burned Ballots DID HAPPEN. Factually, the
            |only thing needed there is how much were vote totals
            |effected by that.  And the most unproven, but biggest source
            |of cheating is likely the increase from .2% bullet ballots
            |to 7%. That's an alarming change with no obvious explanation
            |aside from **He Cheated** It's very provable by calling
            |people up to question them about their votes, but the
            |evidence is there and points strongly to a stolen election.
            |Gaslight, Obstruct, Project. It's what they are known for
            |and their credibility should be accepted as low because of
            |it. Of course they would do that in this case too.


            |u/xandrokos - 4 hours
            |
            |There is a mountain of evidence.
            |https://substack.com/home/post/p-151721941   It isn't a
            |conspiracy theory and we can't find more evidence without an
            |investigation.     There is nothing wrong with doubting
            |election results prior to them being verified.    This isn't
            |like 2020.    Something is very, very, very wrong with the
            |2024 election numbers and it isn't isolated cases either.  
            |Literally every state has major irregularities.   Stop
            |dismissing this out of hand without even looking at the
            |information available.     Stop telling people they are
            |acting like MAGA.  


              |u/grarghll - 2 hours
              |
              |Stop putting four spaces after a sentence, you weirdo.


          |u/ReverendDizzle - 5 hours
          |
          |What do you think is ultimately more simple...   That Trump
          |and company engaged in a degree of election fraud absolutely
          |unheard of and in a fashion so perfectly clandestine that
          |we're left just guessing it happened with no material evidence
          |or...   That the American public is, for the most part,
          |profoundly ignorant, short sighted, reactionary, and primed to
          |make poorly thought out choices with little regard for long
          |term consequences?   It is way, way easier to get 10 million
          |morons to vote for you than it is to cast 10 million
          |fraudulent votes.


            |u/xandrokos - 4 hours
            |
            |Trump didn't need 10 million fraudulent votes.    You really
            |should look at the numbers.    They don't make any sense
            |whatsoever especially when compared to previous elections.
            |Again Trump won the popular vote and all the swing states.  
            |This isn't normal.  This isn't common.  In fact it is
            |unprecedented.    Also people are forgetting about the
            |Selzer poll in Iowa.   She has called every election for the
            |past 25+ years and her margin of error has never been more
            |than 3-4%.   This year she was off by like 15%.    That
            |alone should be ringing alarm bells.   And before you
            |dismiss all polls out of hand please educate yourself on
            |Selzer's methodology.  It is rock solid and why her poll
            |tends to be accurate.


        |u/juicyfizz - 7 hours
        |
        |Before 2016 I would have whole-heartedly agreed, but Jesus
        |Christ are you paying attention to what’s going on at all?
        |Reality isn’t “simple” anymore.


        |u/xandrokos - 4 hours
        |
        |The numbers don't make any sense though and Trump and the GQP
        |literally admitted they were going to cheat.


        |u/ThePurpleKnightmare - 5 hours
        |
        |The simplest answer is actually that he cheated. There is
        |overwhelming evidence for it even to the public eye. However
        |voter apathy in 2024 is way less likely. I get what you're
        |saying, Voter apathy in 2016, or 2020, would have made sense,
        |there was a much smaller threat back then. There was no project
        |2025, there was far less bigotry (despite still having a lot of
        |bigotry)  For many it really felt like if you ignored Politics
        |in those years, it wouldn't affect you. However we were loud
        |about this one. There is so much danger, and it was obvious
        |people were going to die off this one. Of course majority still
        |didn't vote, but as a reason for a Project 2025 win in 2024,
        |Voter Apathy is a bad reason.


        |u/Mini_Snuggle - 4 hours
        |
        |I'm not convinced people were apathetic. This was a high turnout
        |election, not as high as COVID, but there were also reduced
        |barriers specifically for the pandemic and mail in ballots sent
        |to everyone in some states that election.


      |u/johnjohn4011 - 7 hours
      |
      |Really weird indeed.


    |u/cepheidvariable - 7 hours
    |
    |There is mounting evidence that maybe we didn't.


      |u/johnjohn4011 - 7 hours
      |
      |Not surprising. It would be surprising if it turns out to make a
      |difference though. Fingers crossed.....


      |u/bagoink - 4 hours
      |
      |It shouldn't have even been close enough, though. That's the truly
      |fucked up part.  The polls were indicating it was a statistical
      |tie for weeks leading up to the election.


      |u/FourthLife - 5 hours
      |
      |There is no mounting evidence that we didn’t. Don’t be blueanon.


        |u/xandrokos - 4 hours
        |
        |https://substack.com/home/post/p-151721941
        |https://freespeechforpeople.org/wp-
        |content/uploads/2024/11/letter-to-vp-harris-111324.pdf
        |Something is way fucking off.


          |u/SaiyanKirby - 3 hours
          |
          |>https://substack.com/home/post/p-151721941      You keep
          |linking this, but all it is is a bunch of claims with no
          |sources


    |u/xandrokos - 4 hours
    |
    |We didn't.   There isn't a chance in hell that Trump legitimately
    |won the popular vote and all swing states not to mention all the
    |other weirdness with election numbers in literally every single
    |state.   What is worse is literally no one is talking about it.


    |u/J0E_Blow - 6 hours
    |
    |r/somethingiswrong2024 if nothing is done regarding election
    |integrity prior to Trump taking office we'll never know what really
    |happened and he'll have de facto legitimately won.. But at least on
    |Reddit people are questioning the results. Not sure why Kamala and
    |Biden have said pretty much nothing.


    |u/Great-Hotel-7820 - 5 hours
    |
    |I’ll just say neither reality would surprise me in the slightest.


  |u/jojointheflesh - 8 hours
  |
  |Lmao came here to say the same. Fucking can’t escape COVID, even
  |nearly five years later


  |u/Lazydude17 - 6 hours
  |
  |i will forever hate him for calling it “the invisible threat”
  |undermining the whole situation, and more recently him giving russia
  |our supplies


  |u/lemonaintsour - 6 hours
  |
  |This also explains covid deniers and anti vaxxers


  |u/itsl8erthanyouthink - 8 hours
  |
  |*We* didn’t do shit. *I* voted against him 6 times. *I* got vaccinated
  |the moment I was able. *He* lied to them because Covid was bad for the
  |economy and death was bad PR. *He* killed those Americans. For those
  |of MAGA that’s survived, *he* caused lasting brain damage on those who
  |listened to him when he said it “was just the flu”.


  |u/prontish - 7 hours
  |
  |It might explain at least 7.5 million voters


  |u/SilverBack88 - 6 hours
  |
  |My thoughts exactly


  |u/xandrokos - 4 hours
  |
  |This could be our generations version of lead poisoning.


  |u/Counselor-Ug-Lee - 8 hours
  |
  |4D chess election interference


  |u/Izenthyr - 4 hours
  |
  |This would also explain his increased insanity


  |u/Stardust_Particle - 4 hours
  |
  |It might explain the word-salads and the weave we’ve all witnessed,
  |which, seriously, are bizarre.


|u/pixel_of_moral_decay - 6 hours
|
|This has been known since early pandemic and the info keeps stacking up.
|I see it in coworkers. I’ve thought to myself multiple times “you used
|to be smarter”.  One thing I noticed is a lot of “COVID pause”. When
|someone responds to a statement there’s this delay where they look like
|they want to talk but just can’t for a half second.  My parents started
|after they got it, same with most people I know.  I swear you can use a
|timer to tell who still hasn’t had Covid. The pause is a thing people
|stopped talking about but it’s still there.


  |u/the_Demongod - 4 hours
  |
  |Yep that happens to me... it takes like 3 seconds for the information
  |to start flowing


  |u/dephress - 4 hours
  |
  |That's fascinating, but I don't think I've ever met anyone who
  |displays the "covid pause," and most people I know have had it. We all
  |seem to talk at the same rate with used to, including interrupting
  |each other, talking too much, being quick to speak. I'll keep an eye
  |out for this now that you've mentioned it but I don't think I've
  |encountered an increase in verbal hesitation...


  |u/Melodic-Head-2372 - 6 hours
  |
  |People that still do not have accurate taste smell.


|u/_JudgeDoom_ - 6 hours
|
|“To put the finding of the New England Journal of Medicine study into
|perspective, I estimate that a three-point downward shift in IQ would
|increase the number of U.S. adults with an IQ less than 70 from 4.7
|million to 7.5 million – an increase of 2.8 million adults with a level
|of cognitive impairment that requires significant societal support.”
|Wow, to think for just a moment about how horrible of a response we had
|to the pandemic here in the US and this sentiment probably won’t get any
|traction for years. If this is true then there is an untold amount extra
|health care cost associated with this and one person is mostly at fault
|for that.


|u/Gold_Scene5360 - 7 hours
|
|I’ve been doing fairly intensive brain exercises and I’m now about 85%
|back to normal, but for the first year and a half after I got Covid my
|memory and concentration were really bad.


  |u/Razvedka - 7 hours
  |
  |What brain exercises do you recommend?


  |u/OmegaAutarch - 7 hours
  |
  |Would you mind sharing what you did specifically to help with
  |restoring functionality? I would appreciate it 🙏


    |u/Gold_Scene5360 - 7 hours
    |
    |This is a great resource for memory: https://artofmemory.com Simply
    |doing a daily crossword puzzle and sudoku is fun and beneficial.  I
    |also try to write short stories and play Tetris to keep my reaction
    |time up.   But probably the best thing you can do to improve
    |cognitive function is to get a good night sleep, plenty of fresh air
    |and exercise, socialize and much as you can, and eat well.


|u/johnnierockit - 8 hours
|
|I did a Bluesky tl;dr version including data from the two-year extensive
|stats if anyone wants to check it out just scroll through the whole
|thread it's a 2-3 minute read [https://bsky.app/profile/johnhatchard.bsk
|y.social/post/3lb4dbgnlqc24](https://bsky.app/profile/johnhatchard.bsky.
|social/post/3lb4dbgnlqc24)  Mild/resolved COVID-19 cases: cognitive 3
|point IQ loss  Unresolved symptoms such as fatigue or shortness of
|breath: cognitive 6 point IQ loss  Intensive care unit COVID-19 cases: 9
|point IQ loss  Reinfection with virus: 2 point IQ loss


  |u/Esc777 - 8 hours
  |
  |I wonder how much of this is due to the virus itself or just pulmonary
  |issues causing low oxygen to the brain?   Because that seems really
  |likely to me. But I bet real scientists know better. 


    |u/cyanescens_burn - 8 hours
    |
    |I recall seeing an article a while back that showed neural changes,
    |one being fusion of CNS nerve cells. I’m not sure that happens from
    |low O2 alone. Maybe it does, I’m no nerve scientist. If O2 gets low
    |enough, I don’t see why what you are suggesting wouldn’t happen too.


    |u/wyvernx02 - 6 hours
    |
    |I kept any eye on my O2 every time I caught covid and never saw a
    |dip. I still came out the other end with worse cognitive function.


      |u/Esc777 - 6 hours
      |
      |Well there you have it. That sucks I’m sorry. 


    |u/tabormallory - 8 hours
    |
    |The oxygen deprivation seems the most likely culprit. It can cause
    |brain death shockingly fast.


      |u/myasterism - 7 hours
      |
      |And this is part of why sleep apnea can cause or worsen adhd
      |symptoms—and may explain why long-covid resembles ADHD for so many
      |people


        |u/Esc777 - 6 hours
        |
        |Bingo why I brought it up, as a person who suffers from sleep
        |apnea and ADHD.   I was literally killing my brain. 


    |u/DanKoloff - 4 hours
    |
    |I didn't experience any respiratory problem from Covid. I just had
    |the lack of taste and smell for two weeks. No high body temperature,
    |no cough, no sore throat, no muscle pain. After two weeks the taste
    |and smell came back but I was left with brain fog and constantly
    |muffled ears (which sometimes pop when I go to the mountains... so
    |at least that is not exactly permanent damage).


    |u/Sudden-Echo-8976 - 3 hours
    |
    |Cystic Fibrosis comes with some cognitive decline, but it's
    |absolutely nothing like what is being relayed here. So my assumption
    |would be next to nothing attributable to lack of oxygen.  When lack
    |of oxygen becomes dangerous for the brain, which is around O2 sats
    |of 91%, they put people on supplemental oxygen. So anything that
    |doesn't require supplemental oxygen is fine.  This graph shows the
    |relationship between resting O2 sats and cognitive decline in people
    |with COPD. You can see that at 91% the cognitive decline still isn't
    |terrible. [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2939681/#f1-copd
    |-5-263](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2939681/#f1-copd-5-
    |263)


  |u/onepercentbatman - 6 hours
  |
  |I’ve had it three times and I don’t think I have had any cognative
  |issues.  I process at the same speed I feel I always have, and my
  |deductive skills and creativity seem the same.  What worries me is if
  |there is a decline, would I notice due to the decline.  My entire
  |life, supporting my family, is 100% supported my intelligence.  It is
  |to the point that I do daily mental exercises to stay sharp.  One
  |thing I would add is that though 3 points might not sound like much,
  |that is a lot the closer you get to the median and average.  Going
  |from 155 to 152 isn’t that much of a setback.  Going from 110 to 107
  |is.


|u/BustAMove_13 - 8 hours
|
|I had it for the first time in early October. The brain fog is real. I
|have an autoimmune, so my memory has suffered already, but now, it's
|really bad. My balance is out of whack since then, too.


|u/Roushfan5 - 6 hours
|
|I got sicker than a dog back in July. Never tested positive for COVID,
|but I could go down the list of symptoms and check every single one of
|them off.   I've been struggling hardcore ever since. Thank fuck I've
|got a generous sick leave policy at work. I've probably missed a month
|of work over the last four and half months. Today was actually the first
|day I've felt normal in a long time.


|u/Manofmayonnaise - 6 hours
|
|After getting it I've noticed I have trouble remembering people's names
|at times. These are coworkers I see every day at work.


  |u/Stardust_Particle - 4 hours
  |
  |You are not the only one. Scary stuff.


|u/sleepf0rtheweak - 7 hours
|
|I’m a nurse and ever since I got Covid a couple of years ago, I have
|severe trouble finding the right words and multi tasking is very taxing.
|When I’m done with the day, my mind is numb. I know it is Covid that has
|caused my severe cognitive decline. I tried to get help, as I also know
|I have ADHD. My lifetime of developed coping mechanisms are crumbling
|around me like a house of cards and I’m scared and frustrated.  Tried to
|get diagnosed, but was “borderline” (again from trying to cope with my
|issues) and got no help.


  |u/Nchi - 4 hours
  |
  |If you are female it's a double whammy as the 'inattentive' symptom is
  |the bit you get more often and is also the least 'visible'. I'm
  |vaguely trying to track how common it is for that type to struggle
  |with typing and having a conversation simultaneously, might be
  |something to show it better. Might be due to reading too, something is
  |there to make a test one way or another I feel.


  |u/Nuggethewarrior - 4 hours
  |
  |is this reversable? my vocabulary was impacted by covid as well, and
  |im scared ill never regain it.


|u/DreadfulDemimonde - 6 hours
|
|This is why I still mask.


  |u/XRT28 - 1 hour
  |
  |Aye same. For me it's just a no-brainer with how trivial it is to
  |throw a good mask on when you're going to be spending time in any sort
  |of crowded indoor environment.   We're coming up on 5 years of it now
  |and not only am I still COVID free(or at the absolute minimum it would
  |have had to have been completely asymptomatic) but I also haven't
  |gotten sick period in that time.    And even if COVID magically ceased
  |to exist honestly I'd probably still mask atleast throughout the
  |winter months because of how much I've enjoyed not getting a cold/flu
  |a couple times a season.


|u/Cubawabi - 6 hours
|
|I did my bachelor paper on this and most information I found point to
|the hypothalamus (chemical balance center & memory) as the most target
|part of the brain. Scary stuff


  |u/Stardust_Particle - 4 hours
  |
  |Speaking of chemicals, I recommend everyone who is struggling with
  |brain fog and memory to get a blood test for their thyroid just to
  |rule it out. I have never gotten Covid but I take medicine to regulate
  |my thyroid and some symptoms sound similar to what I experienced
  |before I got diagnosed that my thyroid wasn’t functioning properly.


|u/verbal-acuity - 5 hours
|
|Reading these comments is refreshing to know I'm not alone. It's also
|really disheartening though and I feel for everyone going through it.  I
|work in a childcare environment and the family members I live with also
|work in busy environments. Since the original COVID outbreak, I've
|gotten it 3 times. I'm 27 and I've almost cried recently thinking
|something is severely wrong with me because my memory has gotten
|terrible. It's to the point where I'm extremely concerned because I'll
|forget basic things regularly. For example, at work I'll often place
|something down and then a minute later forget that I even grabbed it or
|where I put it. This will happen multiple times a day usually.  I used
|to have really great memory, like scary good. I don't think I'm at an
|age where my memory should already be going on this downwards slope. :/


|u/Lore_ofthe_Horizon - 5 hours
|
|Good think we fed a couple of million innocent people to it to dull its
|teeth and turn it into another constant companion of humanity, just like
|we did with the flu.  Now we get to deal with all those nasty side
|effects for the REST OF HUMANITIES EXISTENCE.


|u/Boonzies - 8 hours
|
|I wonder if it's additive?  COVID Case Count * [2.5...10]


  |u/Minimalistmacrophage - 8 hours
  |
  |According to the study.. Yes.


    |u/Boonzies - 8 hours
    |
    |That is terrible. I did some research in the early days on vascular
    |damage. That too was bad news.


|u/momoenthusiastic - 7 hours
|
|Now, try to convince the “did my own research” crowd.   Oh wait, they
|probably became dumber than most after several bouts of it. 


|u/hansolo625 - 6 hours
|
|That’s why I’m still masking and have not gotten it once


|u/billgigs55 - 7 hours
|
|i definitely notice myself stumbling over words now unlike i did before
|covid, and im only 30. Does make you wonder.


|u/OmegaAutarch - 7 hours
|
|After getting it ONCE, I feel like my stress and anxiety went way up,
|and my brain function went through the floor. I'm having a hard time
|figuring out how to memorize and understand things like I used to.


|u/nospamkhanman - 6 hours
|
|For me I don't feel any "dumber" but I've noticed my short term memory
|is shit after my 2nd infection.     I used to remember an IP address for
|basically an entire day when I was troubleshooting something.     Now I
|don't even bother asking people for their ip address and just tell them
|to message me with it because I know I'll forget it in 30 seconds.


|u/PurpleDragonDix - 6 hours
|
|I tested positive 3 times throughout. The first time, I was asymptomatic
|and only tested positive because someone in my household got sick. The
|2nd and 3rd time, I had all the damn symptoms. The hospital turned me
|away both times, even when I thought my lungs would give out.   I
|definitely feel slower, not as quick to comprehension. It sucks.


|u/khalaron - 6 hours
|
|Hits close to home.   More than a few people I know suffered these
|symptoms.


|u/Thund3rMuffn - 5 hours
|
|I honestly noticed my typing skills just got trashedkgnsn after covid.
|Like typo afyer typo.


|u/gynoceros - 3 hours
|
|It's not just covid. It's anything that deprives your brain of oxygen.
|I've been in healthcare for over 22 years. Was in the ER for most of it,
|as a nurse for over ten now, so I've been at the bedside since before
|covid.   I've been on a cardiothoracic ICU for almost a year now and see
|what people turn into after heart and lung surgeries where they were on
|bypass for hours (often meaning that brains didn't get everything they
|needed so that other vital organs could).   It's not fucking pretty.
|Your moms, dads, grandparents? Sometimes those surgeons promise good
|outcomes and sometimes they deliver.   Sometimes you're left with a
|shell of what you thought you were going to get.   We have a huddle
|every morning where we go through some of these issues and we've got
|this one ambitious surgeon who tells us point blank: we do some of these
|surgeries on people who will die within a year but if we extend the life
|of one or two, it's worth it.   Sometimes it means grandpa lives long
|enough to know his granddaughter walked the aisle. Sometimes the 43 year
|old dad gets to see his eldest off to freshman year of college.   And
|sometimes the 53 year old guy who immigrated here to have a better life,
|had covid wreck his lungs, gets a transplant and develops a multi-drug
|resistant infection fuck everything up, and it takes nine months of
|constant fighting to finally end him.   Or they have a stroke at 49
|because of everything we tried to do and they never regain either
|cognitive or motor function again.   Or they're 60 and will lose a hand
|because that's just how it goes sometimes, and btw, they weren't that
|bright to begin with but now they also get confused at night and
|sometimes pull out their feeding tubes if you happen to be taking care
|of your other patient at the time.   Tomorrow is a gift, not a promise.


|u/Predator_ - 8 hours
|
|The great dumbening commences.   Such a great idea to put an anti-vaxx
|conspiracy theorist in charge of studying and combating such illnesses.
|/s 🤦‍♂️😑🙄


|u/xKingNothingx - 7 hours
|
|So THATS how the anti-vaxxers get even dumber.


|u/toadjones79 - 7 hours
|
|Finally. There were reports of this in 2020. And I've seen evidence of
|it since. The driving habits of people changed significantly for the
|dumber after lockdown (I commute a lot). Never forget that the whole
|world is dumber (including you and me).


  |u/Neoliberal_Boogeyman - 4 hours
  |
  |Driving habits are a big one. People here blow through intersections
  |at a level I never saw before 2019.


|u/BibliophileMafia - 5 hours
|
|I've continued to mask and haven't had a confirmed infection of covid
|(pretty sure I had it jan. of 2020) and I've really noticed the people
|around me, especially those who refuse to mask have really degraded over
|the last couple of years. Especially those who had more than 3
|infections. Also noticed those who have had multiple infections slowly
|get more and more aggressive.


|u/Thoraxe474 - 7 hours
|
|Still haven't gotten covid, but man am I worried for my kids just
|spending a life time catching this thing every now and then


  |u/notaproctorpsst - 5 hours
  |
  |Please know that there are people who will never develop symptoms, but
  |still be able to infect others. About 50% of infections are
  |asymptomatic. So if you‘re not wearing a mask when sharing air with
  |others, you might still bring it home and your kids might just be
  |asymptomatic – until the long-term effects catch up.  So please still
  |wear a mask and don’t rely on whether you or others are symptomatic.


|u/mysecondaccountanon - 4 hours
|
|This is why yinz need to mask up. Seriously, how many here who in the
|top comments are saying they have experienced this are working to make
|sure it doesn’t happen again so it won’t actively get worse? I’m
|guessing not a lot. Wear a mask, N95 or higher is best. If you have
|trouble affording them, mask blocs may be able to help!


  |u/trailrunner68 - 3 hours
  |
  |Second that:  I still wear a mask in high contact places especially
  |airports.


|u/SatansMoisture - 7 hours
|
|That might explain the recent America election.


|u/asianwaste - 5 hours
|
|A thing that I am scared of is whether or not long covid effects kick in
|when we get old.  Imagine a whole generation 20-30 years from now
|getting random bouts of paralysis, strokes, losing sense of taste, and
|other observed effects from long covid.


|u/B33fboy - 5 hours
|
|As somebody who has not yet had Covid, I want to tell y’all that the
|little slips in memory you’re noticing are not just age. They are from
|Covid. I can tell based on my interactions doing customer service that
|people are, by and large, much more forgetful and have a much harder
|time finding the word they’re seeking. It’s not some little blip. It is
|a mass disabling event that is ripping through the population again and
|again.


|u/Socal-vegan - 4 hours
|
|Before Covid, my memories were sharp and I felt pretty smart. Post Covid
|(got it twice), I feel dumber. I can’t remember or retain information as
|much I used to. How the pandemic was handled pissed me off. A lot of
|this was preventable.


|u/kal0kag0thia - 6 hours
|
|Yeah, I build quality management systems for aerospace. I remember the
|structure of the system I created well, and I have checklists and
|schedules. I had those before. But, I'm just not quick with details
|anymore and high level meetings are the worst. I just try to prepare
|obvious answers before I go in, and stay as quiet as possible. I still
|get by, but what is crazy is it only took about 6 months to go from
|focused and reactive to barely hanging on. What's crazy is my skin aged,
|my eyes got worse and my body seems like somebody else's body. I'm not
|the self I remember from the six months prior. It's all just weird.


|u/ELpork - 6 hours
|
|Disability case, year 3. Yup. It gets worse as the day goes on. "Brain
|fog" is the term that get's thrown around a lot but it has other factors
|attached. Memory gets worse, word find gets worse, you tend to trail off
|during conversations, drifting from the main topic to something vaguely
|attached to something all together different.   Not looking forward to
|what potential long term effects are going to end up being.


|u/TufftedSquirrel - 6 hours
|
|So this is weird for me. I've had it twice. The first time, I got
|horrible brain fog, and it lasted like 3 weeks. I felt like I couldn't
|put sentences together. It was so frustrating. The 2nd time I got covid,
|I got brain fog, but only while Iwas sick. Well, just recently I got the
|flu, and I got horrific brain fog while I was sick. I'm kind of
|wondering, it's this a permanent thing now? Am I going to be running at
|%40 intelligence every time I get sick now?


  |u/DreadfulDemimonde - 6 hours
  |
  |Your immune system is damaged from the Covid, so it's possible that
  |you will get sick more frequently and more severely than before.


|u/Drummal - 4 hours
|
|I caught it once and I can say 3 years later I can still feel the brain
|fog.


|u/Vanderlyley - 5 hours
|
|I take the Mensa Norway test every year to check for signs of cognitive
|decline. Pre-Covid, I consistently scored around 130. One year after
|contracting Covid, I scored around 115, which freaked me the fuck out.
|Two years later, I'm back to 130-ish.  The disease certainly takes its
|toll. My sense of smell went back to normal very recently, and I had
|COVID back in 2021.


|u/Nisiom - 7 hours
|
|Tons of people already got significantly dumber when the lockdowns
|turned us into a perpetually online society.  If the virus also had an
|effect on our brains, god help us. The rise of the potato brains is
|here.


|u/Dwashelle - 6 hours
|
|I've been having memory issues since I got it two years ago. I find it
|hard to remember words and names, like the names of actors or sometimes
|even people I know. I'm honestly terrified that this is permanent.
|Someone please give me reassurance, lol.


|u/Due_Smoke5730 - 6 hours
|
|Damn, I never have been ill with covid, (3 vaccines so far) but I had a
|concussion last year and my words have not been the same. Now I’m
|wondering if I did have covid and just never knew.  I’m also 55 now so
|this combo of trama, age and possible covid brain is extra worrying to
|me.


|u/Prestigious_Fail3791 - 5 hours
|
|I got it either 3-4 times, and I believe once the year before.  I had
|several strange side effects.  1. My dick didn't work properly for six
|months. My libido was completely gone and keeping erections was
|difficult. During this time, I had a terrible time falling asleep and
|numerous night terrors. Lots of sleep walking/seeing delusions. Most
|nights, I'd wake up gasping for air almost as if I had stopped
|breathing. It was scary. 2. I can't do any vigorous exercise without
|feeling like I'm going to fall over and die. Walks are fine, but any
|sort of bending/crouching/picking things up makes me dizzy and very
|tired. This past week, I cleaned up my office. Not a difficult job, but
|after a few hours, I felt like all of my energy was completely gone. It
|was as if I had climbed a mountain. I also have lingering leg
|pain/weakness. I also get very tired driving. 3. Attempting to recall
|names/thinking of specific words is difficult. Like I know what I want
|to say, but sometimes I literally can't think of the right words. Simple
|stuff. This was incredibly bad at first. To the point you would have
|thought I had a severe brain injury. Forming basic sentences was taxing.
|This is worse towards the end of the day. I'm fine in the mornings, but
|my mind is mush by mid day. I do a lot of computer editing and I often
|find myself forgetting processes after a couple of hours. Like my brain
|literally can't compute repetitive tasks more than a few hours. 4. I
|make music and rap. Covid completely changed the way I rap. Everyone has
|a signature sound. After covid, mine was completely changed. The tone,
|the flow, the patterns, everything is different. Since getting sick,
|I've created my absolute best work and what I consider the best rap
|album of all time. So even though my brain is probably destroyed, I at
|least have that. It's almost as if someone other than myself made it.
|It's weird to me that I can't think of words in general conversations,
|but I've somehow advanced as a song writer. It's almost as if I'm a
|completely different person. 5. Time appears to pass differently. Prior
|to any of this, I considered most days to pass incredibly slowly. Like I
|was intensely bored in most situations. After getting sick, I feel as if
|time passes 10x. Like an hour feels like 10 minutes. I have full days
|pass in what feels like a couple of hours. 6. I feel like my
|temperament/personality is different.


|u/PlaneShenaniganz - 5 hours
|
|I’ve had COVID 6 times and in my own anecdotal experience, everything
|has seemed to remain the same.


|u/fnafismylife - 5 hours
|
|Man I used to be a straight A student in high school. And now I’m about
|to fail out of my first SEMESTER of college and I seriously don’t know
|what’s changed. I’ve had COVID about 3 times (maybe 4 but we didn’t have
|any tests at the time) and I swear I’m still studying and going to class
|and all the other important stuff but I keep failing tests and
|assignments. I’m genuinely freaking out because my father offered to pay
|for my college in full and if I fail I don’t know how I could ever face
|him. Something has happened and I’m definitely way stupider than I used
|to be.


|u/tara1245 - 4 hours
|
|It looks like there may be some theoretical protection from
|vaccination?If this works the same way in humans.  >Up to 25% of
|individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus
|2 (SARS-CoV-2) exhibit postacute cognitive sequelae. Although millions
|of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-mediated memory
|dysfunction are accumulating worldwide, the underlying mechanisms and
|how vaccination lowers risk are unknown. Interleukin-1 (IL-1), a key
|component of innate immune defense against SARS-CoV-2 infection, is
|elevated in the hippocampi of individuals with COVID-19. Here we show
|that intranasal infection of C57BL/6J mice with SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant
|leads to central nervous system infiltration of Ly6Chi monocytes and
|microglial activation. Accordingly, SARS-CoV-2, but not H1N1 influenza
|virus, increases levels of brain IL-1β and induces persistent
|IL-1R1-mediated loss of hippocampal neurogenesis, which promotes
|postacute cognitive deficits. Vaccination with a low dose of adenoviral-
|vectored spike protein prevents hippocampal production of IL-1β during
|breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection, loss of neurogenesis and subsequent
|memory deficits. Our study identifies IL-1β as one potential mechanism
|driving SARS-CoV-2-induced cognitive impairment in a new mouse model
|that is prevented by vaccination.
|https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-024-01868-z


|u/Mindshard - 4 hours
|
|My right wing employer and his family went around intentionally
|spreading COVID that first year before the vaccines, to prove it was
|"just a cold". I caught it before I knew they were sick or what they
|were doing.  I had brain fog for a long time, but either I've gotten
|used to it, or it passed.   The thing I've never read about is that when
|I got it, my sense of smell went through the roof. At first it was
|overwhelming, everything smelled just way too strong. I've gotten used
|to it, but years later it's still just a strong now. Sometimes it's kind
|of interesting, a lot of other times it's not fun (people, ya'll need to
|wash yourselves better!).  I was incredibly sick, and at first thought
|it wasn't even COVID, because I was expecting to lose my sense of smell,
|not have it cranked up to 11.  It's interesting, and almost a party
|trick at times, but mostly it feels like I used a monkey paw to wish for
|a superpower.


|u/wanderingartist - 4 hours
|
|Well that would explain why people voted for the mango Mussolini.


|u/prosperosniece - 4 hours
|
|That explains the tRump victory


|u/Command0Dude - 2 hours
|
|This is a depressing article to read, because I had symptoms which
|correlate to a loss of 6 IQ and I have had a noticeable harder time at
|work since I had covid, even years later.


|u/15637289minutes - 1 hour
|
|I had COVID in 2020 and have 2 boosters. I think I used to read books
|regularly and gain understanding of the ideas almost quickly. Now I have
|to read a paragraph at least twice because I feel like my brain is just
|"floating". I'm just 30.  Also, I'm not sure if it's just life in
|general or the world's getting worse, but I really have a hard time
|feeling optimistic. I go to concerts, meet new friends, etc. but nah,
|it's all bleak at the end of the day. And I don't even like that I
|perceive things that way. It's like a black hole sucking everything that
|comes its way.


|u/cagriuluc - 34 minutes
|
|Is this how Trump was re-elected?


|u/L0B0_L0K0 - 7 hours
|
|This perfectly explains how trump got elected....again


|u/tgwill - 7 hours
|
|Explains this months politics


|u/Naps_and_cheese - 7 hours
|
|Can confirm. I struggle with math and remembering numbers a lot now.  It
|takes me a few beats longer to understand things at work when I used to
|just look at something and know what's going on. Frustrating. Really
|fucked with my career.  My trajectory really stopped going up after I
|had covid. Twice.


|u/DC_Mountaineer - 8 hours
|
|Idiocracy is happening


|u/Orstio - 7 hours
|
|It stands to reason that since the way memory works, that a virus could
|affect it.  https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/how-a-virus-
|ancestor-powers-our-memorys-chemistry/4014148.article  A viral infection
|in early organisms is probably what introduced the original genes that
|allow for memory.


|u/Matty_D47 - 7 hours
|
|I definitely believe it, we have gotten collectively dumber since the
|pandy


|u/infinus5 - 6 hours
|
|I ve had covid multiple times, the last two times gave me the "brain
|fog" symptom and it's never gone away. It makes doing major hikes or my
|professional work a chore without pain killers.


|u/BdubH - 6 hours
|
|I only got Covid once but I feel as though my memory isn’t as sharp. I
|never had a great memory to begin with but at times it feels as though
|I’m forgetting things just told to me. Thankfully I’m still able to
|gauge my intelligence relatively easy, I’m able to keep up with my
|graduate studies easily and make progress on research and assignments
|without getting lost. Still, it’s scary to think I could had lost
|something I never realized I had lost to begin with  Terrifying even


|u/hummingbirds_R_tasty - 6 hours
|
|had low grade brain fog since i had it


|u/FlailingIntheYard - 6 hours
|
|Tell me about it. I caught it 3 times in a year and I most def can tell
|something hasn't been right since. I feel like I aged 20 years.


|u/jugo5 - 6 hours
|
|No doubt It has made me unable to find my words a lot more.


|u/F-Cloud - 5 hours
|
|I'm definitely less intelligent than before and my short-term memory has
|suffered greatly. I often feel like I have no idea what I'm doing from
|one moment to the next. People ask me to do things and I say okay, turn
|around, and it's gone.


|u/theobrienrules - 5 hours
|
|Explains the election results. 


|u/NimbleNavigator19 - 5 hours
|
|I had covid 4 times during its hey day. And while my lungs and heart are
|now perpetually fucked, I've become some kind of savant when it comes to
|technical design. Whereas before I'd need go spend days or weeks
|reviewing stuff to know how to fix a problem now I can do it in about 5
|minutes.   Sure I may be dumber and have a very high likelihood of dying
|in the next 5-10 years, but I'm earning shareholders a hell of alot of
|money in the meantime.


|u/Mountain-Video5104 - 5 hours
|
|I call them dementia spasms. Mid conversation I’ll forget the point I
|was trying to make, or where I was taking the conversation.


|u/Worldly_Client_7614 - 4 hours
|
|I was an education worker hospitalised with Covid 19 & double pneumonia.
|My health went to absolute shit going from 180 to 110 pounds as a 6 foot
|male, endured a four day coma & felt various side effects over the 4
|week period.  I stupidly rushed myself back to work as i was still a
|year one and my manager informed me he could terminate my contract if i
|was off ill.   I had to leave my job as i physically & mentally couldn't
|do it. Years on i still don't feel as intelligent or able to constraint.
|I'm now homeless.  Covid put me through the absolute ringer.


|u/FarceMultiplier - 4 hours
|
|We know - Trump got elected.


|u/thunderwhenyounger - 4 hours
|
| This explains a lot about the recent election.


|u/lucksh0t - 4 hours
|
|Idk if im just stupid or an im approaching 30 thing but i do somtimes
|have trouble finding words.


|u/tremble01 - 4 hours
|
|After Covid I need to really be intentional with how I organize my
|thoughts. I started really doing my daily planner and note taking more
|seriously because I would not be able to hold thoughts well.


|u/AThiccBahstonAccent - 4 hours
|
|I've always felt so sad at this loss. It's not big, I don't feel stupid
|all of a sudden, but I feel just a little less quick. It feels like
|something I won't get back. I have a lot more moments of forgetfulness.


|u/robaroo - 4 hours
|
|the election results make sense all of a sudden...


|u/twelveparsnips - 4 hours
|
|well, that explains my boss who has proudly had it 4 times.


|u/Tvirus2020 - 4 hours
|
|Obviously this is true here in America especially. Look what has
|happened.


|u/jasikanicolepi - 4 hours
|
|Is that why so many people voted red?


|u/81Z83RR7 - 3 hours
|
|I feel like I have gum in the gears of my brain ever since.   It’s
|terrifying.


|u/mandy009 - 3 hours
|
|I got it once last year. second sickest I've ever been. First sickest
|was when I thought I had the flu in early February 2020 and the
|president at the time denied it was here. After the second time I feel
|much dumber, and I made one of the dumbest lapses in technique in my
|life with something I've been doing for a decade. I don't doubt it.


|u/Jasonguyen81 - 3 hours
|
|That explains why Trump won again


|u/Legacyx1 - 3 hours
|
|I’m 26, I got hit by Covid and can tell that my memory and cognitive
|skills have significantly dropped dramatically


|u/Elqott - 3 hours
|
|I used to have a great memory, now I'm forgetting shit all the time


|u/DueDay7528 - 3 hours
|
|So that's what happened to the red states. Now it makes sense.


|u/Right-Many-9924 - 3 hours
|
|I mean yeah, lol. Pre having Covid, I went from knowing how the pieces
|move to 1200 ELO on chess.com in like six months. Now I’ve had Covid
|like five times, I’m down below 800 ELO, and have basically just given
|up 🫠


|u/jDub549 - 3 hours
|
|After 3 bouts of it I can confidently say I am a tad bit dumber than I
|was. :(


|u/whereiskin - 3 hours
|
|This would help explain why Trump got elected again..


|u/IdiocracyIsHereNow - 2 hours
|
|The random forgetfulness and mixing things up was getting progressively
|worse for me over the duration of like 2 years after I had COVID, but
|now suddenly it's going the other way. It took THAT long for it to even
|begin getting better, but it's getting noticeably better now. Reading
|helps, word games help, learning a new language helps, just exercising
|your brain and trying new things slowly helps over time. I think it
|mostly recovers. In some ways I'm still growing a lot over my old self
|mentally, but still get random little bits of forgetfulness that are
|very unlike me, but I'm not dwelling on it as much now because I can
|tell it's finally starting to noticeably improve after 2 years.   *also
|try doing cardio workouts for a while. That seems to help recovery a
|bit.


|u/Soft-Distance503 - 2 hours
|
|No wonder. I am just 25 and already 'joking' with my friends how old age
|has come sooner for me. I forget basic things. I used to be so sharp, my
|memory was very clear. Now it's all foggy


|u/vulgardisplay76 - 2 hours
|
|Ugh. I don’t even know how much time I spent wandering around my kitchen
|because I’d just forget why the hell I was even in there. I’d go back
|upstairs and remember, go back and wander around again, over and over
|again! So frustrating.   I had to get a whiteboard on my fridge because
|I could not for the life of me remember what time I last took ibuprofen
|and Tylenol for the brutal headaches I’d have. Usually I could at least
|remember being at the medicine cabinet at some point during the day but
|nope. Complete blank.   Went back to work and I shit you not, out of
|nowhere I forgot how to *read*. It was just jumbled, foreign characters
|on a page and it scared the ever loving shit out of me.   I still don’t
|remember things like I used to  Granted I’m not super young anymore
|either but it’s noticeably worse after Covid. I definitely feel a little
|dumber and can’t retain things short term almost at all.


|u/bluemufin - 1 hour
|
|I literally cannot remember most of my life anymore. I used to be able
|to recall almost anything, but after getting COVID 4 times, I feel dumb
|as fuck. I never needed notes on tests, calendars to remember dates and
|appointments… this shit sucks. I’m only in my 20’s!! Masked up, got my
|shots.. no good. Can’t think properly anymore and it makes me so goddamn
|frustrated every time


|u/FuckKarmeWhores - 56 minutes
|
|It's all making sense now!  The anti vaccine campaign was a long game
|played to win the 2024 election!!!


|u/SwingsetGuy - 53 minutes
|
|Yeah, I definitely felt dumber after getting it back in the day. It was
|like an overdrive was suddenly gone; I just couldn't put that extra
|mental oomph into things when I really needed to do so.  The worst part
|is that it's been a few years and while I don't notice a problem as
|much, I think it's less that I'm getting better and more that I'm just
|forgetting what it used to be like. This is my new normal.


|u/AIgavemethisusername - 50 minutes
|
|This is me. I feel like my intellect is shouting from underneath a
|duvet, my general thoughts are getting through, but nowhere near as
|clearly as they were before. Like my brain has been muffled.


|u/thegooniegodard - 36 minutes
|
|We know this after the last American election.


|u/Phemto_B - 15 minutes
|
|That explains why the red states got redder in the last election.


|u/GebeTheArrow - 7 hours
|
|" There are limitations to the study conducted by Hampshire and
|colleagues. The study was based on an engagement survey; hence, there
|may be a degree of response and ascertainment bias, such that either
|more persons with long Covid may have opted to enroll and that persons
|who were sick and had disability would not participate in the surveys." 
|So people who feel like they have impairments can decide to enroll willy
|nilly. Not randomized whatsoever. Who's going to enroll in this if
|they've had COVID and have no issues? Practically nobody.     There are
|so many flaws with this study. How NEJM publish something like this is
|pathetic. 


|u/drdildamesh - 7 hours
|
|Jokes on you covid, I was already a dumbass.


|u/Horror-Layer-8178 - 8 hours
|
|Yeahhhhh...........That could explain some things


|u/Sidzed4 - 7 hours
|
|Yeah well maybe that’s how you end up with Trump 2024


|u/Conqueefadore1 - 7 hours
|
|it explains maga and refusal to mask


|u/cood101 - 7 hours
|
|Having brain farts and not being able to recall things 100% on demand is
|my life already. I can't say COVID has had any noticeable effects on me
|that couldn't be explained by other means.    Granted the times where
|COVID has affected me have been whilst having ADHD-I, Trauma brain, and
|other negative brain affecting things.     The speed of recall I have
|varies. Some days it's rapid fire, some days it's slow. Unfortunately I
|can't quantify it. 


|u/gwarmachine1120 - 7 hours
|
|So all the low-IQ anti vaxxers are even dumber now


|u/JokersGal08 - 7 hours
|
|I'm in my fifth bout of covid right now. I feel like my memory is bad,
|immediate recall is terrible. I feel like I can't retain information,
|which has made my job more difficult for me.


  |u/DreadfulDemimonde - 6 hours
  |
  |Please consider wearing a mask, if you aren't already.


|u/notaproctorpsst - 5 hours
|
|So… how many of y’all confirming that this has been noticeable for
|yourselves are wearing masks in everyday life now when sharing air with
|others?


|u/struggleLOLL - 8 hours
|
|Damn now it makes sense.


|u/BoosterRead78 - 7 hours
|
|My memory was hit after I hit it in 2022. Not as aspect as I was for
|years. Stress didn’t help either.


|u/Leslehhx3 - 7 hours
|
|Yeah I felt this but doctors just keep denying It.


|u/Tobestik - 6 hours
|
|I'm sure I've gotten it twice and I can tell my memory has worsened. My
|short term memory is much worse than it was.


|u/SJMCubs16 - 6 hours
|
|That does explain some things...


|u/MiniNuka - 5 hours
|
|I don’t feel like the same person anymore. Life is harder, but I don’t
|know if it’s me or the world. I’m struggling to keep up with it all.


|u/TheMemeticist - 5 hours
|
|I've literally been trying to tell me this for years, that it's not some
|benign flu and that they should take some caution but I've been treated
|like I'm nuts because it hasn't been shared in MSM


|u/stinkylibrary - 5 hours
|
|Seriously wondering if microdosing psilocybin would fix this for
|everyone...


|u/Trash-Takes-R-Us - 5 hours
|
|Yay I love having a new thing to be anxious about right before bed. I've
|definitely noticed myself getting slower or less clever. Granted I'm
|more willing to say that's caused by excessive alcohol use on the
|weekends


|u/Funkiermeat01 - 5 hours
|
|19 and I’ve never had so many brain farts in my life. I’ve had Covid 3
|times…but maybe it’s just my young brain. Idk.


|u/bloatedlemon - 5 hours
|
|I've thought about this for a while. I feel like people around me are
|just getting dumber. I'm not incredibly intelligent but sometimes I feel
|like I'm smarter than some of those people who I know are well above my
|level. I know I'm not getting smarter so the only solution is they're
|getting dumber right?


|u/xandrokos - 5 hours
|
|My brain is absolutely fried after getting covid 3 times and has been
|causing me major issues.   


|u/Accomplished-Pie-206 - 5 hours
|
|That would explain a lot of things that we have seen the last 4 years.


|u/Slug_core - 5 hours
|
|I legitimately have felt significantly slower since covid. Not dumber
|just slower


|u/Wild_Butterscotch977 - 5 hours
|
|Finally an explanation for what happened on nov 5


|u/Raspberries-Are-Evil - 5 hours
|
|As if society can afford to get any dumber.


|u/mr_spock9 - 4 hours
|
|Already feel dumb from cell phone use/social media, but I guess this is
|another thing I can blame it on, lol. Had it four times and definitely
|felt the physical effects for months afterward during exercise, etc; not
|surprised there are cognitive effects as well.


|u/Xerxes_Generous - 4 hours
|
|I had it twice, and I feel fine. One of the YouTube channel I used to
|visit, Science Girl, the female host got Long COVID, which left her
|permanently fucked up. That's scary.


|u/Prankstaboy6 - 4 hours
|
|Yeah, it does seem like we’re getting dumber as a society.


|u/JimNasium123 - 4 hours
|
|I wonder if it’s going to be the lead paint/leaded gasoline of our
|generation.


|u/Low_Pickle_112 - 4 hours
|
|Thank God we focused on what was really important when it was at it's
|worst: making line go up and ensuring that landlords were happy.


|u/ConsequenceLucky518 - 4 hours
|
|That’s why so many people voted for Trump?


|u/haystackneedle1 - 4 hours
|
|I thought it was the weed


|u/futureformerteacher - 4 hours
|
|That explains how fucking stupid this country is in 2024.


|u/againfaxme - 4 hours
|
|So did Trump purposely bungle COVID so America would get dumb enough to
|elect him again?


|u/14with1ETH - 4 hours
|
|Fish oil has helped me tremendously in this. I highly recommend if
|anyone gets brain fog immediately start taking it daily.


|u/That80sguyspimp - 4 hours
|
|Ive never had covid. This must be why I feel like Im surrounded by
|dummies lately... :D


|u/tapwater86 - 4 hours
|
|That explains the election


|u/teknomedic - 4 hours
|
|Trump winning a 2nd term beginning to make some sense.


|u/fitechs - 4 hours
|
|Is that why Trump won?


|u/Dextermorgan93 - 4 hours
|
|Conspiracy theorist gonna have a field day w this one


|u/ichabod01 - 4 hours
|
|are we looking at us election results???


|u/Melonpan_Pup442 - 3 hours
|
|As someone with ADHD post covid brain fog and memory problems ,feel*
|different. I forget basic things like words a lot, and everything is a
|bit slower than I used to be. It sucks.


|u/Round-Antelope552 - 3 hours
|
|It would explain a lot


|u/Ok-Drawing-1912 - 3 hours
|
|Wow... this explains a lot of things since I got it.


|u/Ashamed_Job_8151 - 3 hours
|
|I have all kinds of issue stemming from Covid, but the particular brain
|issue that popped up right after getting it the first time is that I
|have an inability to remember names. Like if we are having a
|conversation about movies and o think of an actor I want to bring up I
|immediately lose it and it takes awhile to find it again. I know who I’m
|thinking of but I just can’t remember who they are all of sudden. It’s
|really weird.   Honestly thats been the least of my post covid issues. I
|f’n hate covid. 


|u/mygallows - 3 hours
|
|Had Covid about 2 years ago, definitely noticed that my memory and train
|of thought have weakened.   It’s concerning because I’m 23, and I’ve
|always been pretty sharp.


|u/hurklesplurk - 2 hours
|
|Thank fuck I didn't get it then


|u/ItzFeufo - 2 hours
|
|That explains the recent election results...


|u/Wallace-Pumpernickel - 2 hours
|
|Wow, it's scary how fragile the human body is... Does anyone know if the
|brain fog disappears with time?


  |u/Westerosi_Expat - 2 hours
  |
  |Some individuals recover in weeks or months, while others take years.
  |I've had long covid since August 2020. I experienced a precipitous
  |drop in clarity, concentration, memory, and other cognitive
  |functioning as a result, and have yet to see any significant
  |improvement after all this time.


|u/G36 - 2 hours
|
|Ever since covid my writing is fucked up like I mix words that sounds
|the same for some reason when writing


|u/ConflatedPortmanteau - 2 hours
|
|Me don't think this true.  Me have covid twice and me stil sharp az
|attack.


|u/DrewzerB - 2 hours
|
|Explains the political landscape


|u/CowboyNeale - 2 hours
|
|Welp that explains a lot about the way society is going these days


|u/Cr1ms0nSlayer - 1 hour
|
|well it does make sense with all the shit happening since 2020 lmao


|u/gmotelet - 1 hour
|
|Finally a believable explanation for 2024 election results


|u/deityblade - 1 hour
|
|I have a lot more trouble focusing these days. Could just be tik tok
|brainrot though lol


|u/nocountryforcoldham - 43 minutes
|
|Establishing causality between covid iq drop and voting for trump would
|be seriously hilarious


|u/Renmarkable - 36 minutes
|
|honestly I cannot urge people strongly enough to mask up.  Quite simply,
|it's our best protection


|u/Old-Lemon6558 - 18 minutes
|
|thank you china for this one


|u/ManiacalMartini - 18 minutes
|
|This would explain why so many people forgot Trump's first term and re-
|elected him.