Learning About Mindfulness and Long COVID

Let's talk about Long COVID, which is also called post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). Patients with Long COVID have long-term symptoms linked to their COVID-19 infection. The majority of people with COVID-19 infection get better within a couple of weeks, but some people continue with their initial symptoms or develop new physical and psychological symptoms. Long COVID symptoms can include joint pain, shortness of breath, brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, chest pain, and a host of other symptoms. Having these symptoms can make everyday life challenging for patients.

Here at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, experts have been treating patients with Long COVID and conducting studies to research ways to help improve Long COVID symptoms. One study called LONG-CALM, led by investigators in the Columbia Research Unit (CRU), is testing if mindfulness practice can improve symptoms among people living with Long COVID.

People who are participating in the study are asked to do short, daily mindfulness and breathing exercises for eight weeks and report their symptoms over the course of the study.

We spoke with several people who are involved in Long COVID clinical care and research. The first, Katie Lerner, is a research assistant in the CRU. Katie has been conducting interviews with participants in LONG-CALM. Here, Katie shares her experience:

[W]hat I found with the interviews is that mindfulness does help soothe the stress and anxiety....  [For one person who had insomnia because of Long COVID] ... listening to the recordings has helped her fall asleep faster and relax.

Katie mentioned that many aspects play into stress and anxiety faced by some patients with Long COVID, including lack of support from family members and community members who might not understand the condition. She also described how people feel frustrated when others do not understand their symptoms. 

A lot of people don't believe it's a thing. [Patients with Long COVID] are also very frustrated with people not believing them. [One person] felt like nobody was doing anything about it and that his Long COVID symptoms would never be fixed because [of it].

We also talked with Steven Palmer, a Physician Assistant in the CRU, who specializes in Long COVID and sexual health. Steven agreed that a sense of aloneness can be a huge struggle for people suffering from Long COVID.  

I think the first thing that we do with people is really provide a space where they know they're not [alone, and that their symptoms are real]. Some of these folks have family members that don't believe them.

Researchers in the CRU are looking forward to seeing the results of the Long CALM study to understand whether mindfulness practice can reduce stress, anxiety, and other symptoms among people with Long COVID. 

Curious about mindfulness? You can access 5–10 minute videos about it here.

If you are living with Long COVID and are interested in joining the Long CALM study, please visit its RecruitMe page.