If you’ve been dealing with long COVID and find yourself Googling things like:
-
“Why does my body buzz at night?”
-
“Why do I smell burning toast that isn’t there?”
-
“Why do I crash after taking a shower?”
—you are not alone.
The truth is, long COVID isn’t “just” about fatigue or shortness of breath. It can affect every part of your body—and your life—in ways that sound downright bizarre. But just because a symptom is strange doesn’t mean it’s not real.
Here are 12 lesser-known (and often dismissed) long COVID symptoms that are real and worth understanding.
1. That “brain on fire” feeling
It’s not just brain fog. Some people feel a burning, electric, or inflamed sensation inside their heads. It’s not a regular headache—it’s something deeper. Something hard to describe but impossible to ignore.
Researchers think this might be linked to neuroinflammation or your brain’s immune system going into overdrive.
2. Wandering bone and body pain
Some days it’s your knees. On other days, your wrists. Or hips. Or jaw. The pain moves around, and no one can quite explain it. It’s deep and achy—not like a pulled muscle.
This “moving” pain may be linked to immune dysregulation, connective tissue inflammation, or microclotting.
3. Phantom smells (phantosmia)
Imagine constantly smelling cigarette smoke, gasoline, or chemicals that no one else notices. Welcome to phantosmia, a sensory glitch that’s surprisingly common after COVID.
Often caused by lingering olfactory nerve damage—and yes, it’s deeply unsettling.
4. Internal vibrations or “body buzzing”
It feels like your insides are humming. Or like you’re standing next to a speaker that’s on, but you can’t hear the sound. Sometimes it’s in your chest, sometimes your legs.
This may be a form of dysautonomia or small fiber nerve disruption.
5. Sudden food sensitivities
You used to eat cheese, spicy food, or leftovers just fine. Now? Nausea, flushing, or GI issues. Some people develop histamine intolerance, mast cell activation, or gastroparesis after COVID.
Your immune system isn’t just overreacting—it’s trying (imperfectly) to adapt.
6. Post-exertional malaise (PEM)
Showered? Talked too much? Walked down the block? Your body crashes hours later. You feel like you’ve been hit by a bus—exhausted, foggy, and in pain.
It’s not laziness. It’s cellular energy dysfunction—your body literally can’t recharge fast enough.
7. Temperature freakouts
You’re freezing while everyone’s sweating. Or your face turns bright red out of nowhere. Long COVID can break the thermostat in your nervous system.
Often linked to autonomic dysfunction or hypothalamic issues.
8. Heart rate spikes after standing
You go from seated to standing, and suddenly your heart is sprinting. Your Fitbit thinks you’re doing cardio. This may be POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).
It’s a known long COVID co-condition, especially in people assigned female at birth.
9. Tingling, numbness, and strange Sensations
Tingles in your face. Pins and needles in your legs. Random cold spots. These are symptoms of small fiber neuropathy, where the smallest nerve endings misfire.
Even mild nerve damage can cause major discomfort and confusion
10. Feeling “drunk” without drinking
Some describe feeling tipsy, floaty, or like they’re walking on a boat. It’s not anxiety—it’s vestibular dysfunction and can cause dizziness, balance issues, and depersonalization.
You’re not making it up. Your body’s balance system is glitching.
11. Blood pressure crashes
Standing makes you lightheaded, nauseous, or even faint. This is orthostatic intolerance, and it’s common in long COVID and other forms of dysautonomia.
This may look like panic to others, but it’s actually cardiovascular and neurological.
12. Sensory overload that feels like a meltdown
Bright lights hurt. Background noise feels like yelling. Your clothes itch. Long COVID can cause central sensitization, making everyday sensory input feel unbearable.
It’s not “just sensitivity.” It’s your nervous system stuck in survival mode.
If you experience any of these:
You’re not imagining it. And you’re definitely not alone.
Long COVID is messy. It overlaps with other chronic illnesses, like ME/CFS, POTS, MCAS, and fibromyalgia. For many people—especially disabled, neurodivergent, or immunocompromised folks—it becomes another layer in a long medical story.
Whether you’ve been diagnosed or not, whether you’re two months in or two years out, your symptoms deserve to be seen, named, and taken seriously.
A few things to remember:
-
You don’t need to prove your illness to deserve care.
-
You are not “too much.” You are living through too much.
-
Rest, joy, softness, and rage can all coexist in healing.
You are not alone in the weirdness. We’re right here with you.