For many people, COVID-19 lasts only a week or two. But for others, recovery doesn’t end when the infection is gone.
Weeks or even months later, they continue to experience fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, headaches, shortness of breath, exercise intolerance, sleep disturbances, and difficulty concentrating. This condition, commonly referred to as Long COVID, can be frustrating because routine medical testing is often normal despite very real symptoms.
At New England Hyperbarics, we often explain that many chronic symptoms are less about one damaged organ and more about a body that has become stuck in an inefficient healing state. While every person’s experience is unique, growing research suggests that Long COVID may involve persistent inflammation, injury to the small blood vessels, immune system dysregulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and reduced oxygen delivery to tissues. Together, these changes can leave the brain and body struggling to produce the energy needed for normal function and recovery.
An Ongoing Energy Deficit
Your brain uses approximately 20% of your body’s oxygen every day despite making up only about 2% of your body weight. Every heartbeat, thought, movement, and immune response depends on oxygen to create ATP—the energy currency of our cells.
When inflammation disrupts circulation or damages the tiny blood vessels responsible for delivering oxygen, tissues can become relatively oxygen deprived even when blood oxygen levels appear normal on a pulse oximeter. At the same time, mitochondria—the “power plants” inside our cells—may become less efficient, creating what many researchers describe as a persistent metabolic or energy deficit.
This helps explain why many people with Long COVID feel exhausted after even minor physical or mental activity.
How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Works
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) involves breathing 100% oxygen inside a pressurized chamber. The increased pressure allows dramatically more oxygen to dissolve directly into the plasma—the liquid portion of your blood—allowing oxygen to reach areas that may not be receiving enough through red blood cells alone.
This increase in tissue oxygenation creates an environment that supports healing throughout the body.
Research suggests HBOT may help by:
- Increasing oxygen delivery to injured or oxygen-deprived tissues
- Supporting mitochondrial energy production
- Reducing chronic inflammation
- Improving microvascular circulation
- Stimulating the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis)
- Promoting neuroplasticity and brain recovery
- Mobilizing stem cells involved in tissue repair
- Accelerating all tissue and cellular repair
Rather than masking symptoms, these effects aim to support the body’s natural repair processes.
What Does the Research Show?
While HBOT is not currently considered a standard treatment for Long COVID, early clinical studies have produced encouraging results.
Researchers have reported improvements in several areas, including:
- Brain fog and cognitive function
- Dysautonomia (POTS and others)
- Mental processing speed
- Fatigue
- Exercise tolerance
- Sleep quality
- Quality of life
- Attention and executive function
Some imaging studies have also demonstrated measurable improvements in brain activity and cerebral blood flow following a course of HBOT, suggesting that the clinical improvements may reflect underlying changes in brain function rather than simply symptom relief.
Although larger studies are still needed, the growing body of evidence suggests that HBOT may be a valuable option for carefully selected patients experiencing persistent Long COVID symptoms.
A Whole-Body Approach to Recovery
Long COVID rarely affects just one system.
The brain, autonomic nervous system, cardiovascular system, immune system, and muscles all communicate continuously. When one part of that network becomes disrupted, symptoms can appear throughout the body.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy supports this interconnected system by improving oxygen availability at the cellular level. As tissues receive the oxygen needed to produce energy, many of the body’s natural repair mechanisms become more effective.
Is HBOT Right for You?
Every patient is different.
Some individuals recover quickly with time, while others continue to experience symptoms months or even years after their initial illness. HBOT is not a cure for Long COVID, but for appropriate patients it may provide meaningful support by improving the biological environment necessary for healing.
At New England Hyperbarics, we perform a comprehensive evaluation to determine whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy is appropriate for your individual condition and goals. Our medical-grade, deep-pressure hyperbaric chambers provide evidence-informed care in a safe, closely monitored environment.
If Long COVID has left you feeling like you’re no longer yourself, it may be time to explore therapies designed to help your brain and body heal—not simply manage symptoms.
References
- Robbins T, et al. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for Long COVID: a systematic review of emerging evidence. Frontiers in Medicine. 2024.
- Zilberman-Itskovich S, et al. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves neurocognitive function and symptoms of post-COVID condition: randomized controlled trial. Scientific Reports. 2022.
- Hadanny A, Efrati S. The hyperoxic-hypoxic paradox and the regenerative effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Biomedicines. 2020.
