Studying with brain fog?

Posted , 2 users are following.

I'm 25 and I'm six months into recovering from glandular fever. I never had the initial fever/flu-like symptoms, but I suddenly came down with fatigue, brain fog, headaches, dizziness, light/sound sensitivity and more.

The good news is I'm slowly starting to turn a corner, and I'm only left with the main symptoms of fatigue and brain fog! However, I have two months to finish writing up a thesis for uni, and I'm STRUGGLING. It's like my brain can't reach the level necessary to understand the concepts I'm writing about, and when I do try to concentrate my thoughts 'float away' before I get the chance to type them. Writing down each tiny step of a task as I go and only working for 10 mins at a time helps, but only to a point. On top of this my motivation is low due to having this hanging over my head for so long, and I often gaslight myself into thinking I'm just being lazy.

I'm so close to finishing, I've done all the legwork of my research and it's just the last little bit of the write-up left to complete. Any tips for getting this done?!

0 likes, 1 reply

1 Reply

  • Posted

    Hi lolo. I am 16 months into mono (and perhaps long covid on top of that). As you may already know, a symptom of mono is PEM (Post-exertional malaise ) meaning that when you do a streneous activity (even sitting can be streneous for some people), the next day or even the next days you will pay back, by feeling fatigue.

    So, rest as much as you can. Avoid walking or standing for long times. While sitting, elevate your legs, or even sit on the ground. If possible, study while lying down. Have enough sleep. Avoid caffeine, because with a sedentary lifestyle, caffeine would cause sleep difficulties.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.