Covid and Your Hypothalamus (Long Haul Covid)

by Deborah Maragopoulos FNP | Jan 10, 2023 | Blog, Hypothalamus | 0 comments

Did you know that your hypothalamus can be severely affected by Covid? And that is why you may have debilitating symptoms long after you’ve recovered from the virus — otherwise known as Long Haul Covid.

Early in the pandemic, I joined a Covid survivor's social media group. Just to see what lingering symptoms people described after they had recovered. Many of the symptoms - fatigue, hot flashes, massive hair loss, anxiety, confusion, memory loss, depression, headaches, insomnia, loss of appetite - all suggested hypothalamus involvement.

Within a month, researchers in France discovered that the hypothalamus can be affected by the virus. Which can cause serious long term affects.

They found that the Hypothalamus is rich in ACE-2 receptors. The same type of receptors in the lungs which Covid attaches to. Covid-19 enters the hypothalamus by the bloodstream since unlike the rest of the brain, your hypothalamus is not protected by the blood-brain barrier. The virus can also gain access to your hypothalamus via sensory organs which four out of five pass through the hypothalamus.

If your fever and respiratory symptoms improved, but you’re left with persistent systemic symptoms like excessive thirst, headaches, hot flashes, night sweats, joint pain, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, severe fatigue, heart palpitations, reflux, nausea, constipation, dizziness, tinnitus, rash, itchiness, tremors, dry mouth, hair loss, erectile dysfunction, and brain fog - you may have Long Haul Covid.

Neurologists have noted that many healthcare workers who had massive exposure to the virus early in the pandemic, describe having symptoms for 100+ days.

Many of the symptoms are neurological in nature - but all are related to hypothalamic damage.

Insomnia or frequent awakenings

Inability to concentrate and think clearly

Easy fatiguability despite normal lung function

Anorexia or increased appetite
Temperature dysregulation

Lymphadenopathy meaning swollen glands

Dysautonomia - meaning your autonomic nervous system is not functioning properly. And that’s bad, because your autonomic nervous system is an unconscious control system that regulates bodily functions, such as the heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, sexual arousal, and the fight-or-flight response.

Your hypothalamus acts as coordinator of the autonomic nervous system. - both the excitatory sympathetic nervous system and the calming parasympathetic nervous system.

Autonomic symptoms in Long Haul COVID include:

Tachycardia or rapid heart rate with mild exercise or even just standing

Night sweats

Gastroparesis - delayed stomach emptying leads to GERD, indigestion, and malabsorption

Constipation

Peripheral vasoconstriction - which can cause high blood pressure

If you’ve had covid and you’re still suffering with symptoms, you need to support your hypothalamus to fully recover.

Thankfully, so far, only two of my patients have become infected with Covid. This was early on in the pandemic and both even though they’re in their mid 60s with comorbidities, they have done extremely well - with no lingering symptoms. I believe it’s because they’ve been supporting their hypothalamus with Genesis Gold. And I believe that the low covid infection rate were witnessing in our patients and customers is because they are supporting their hypothalamus. That’s because your hypothalamus controls your immune response and a stronger immune system helps protect you.

If you want to learn more about what your hypothalamus does and how to heal it naturally, please join my free Hormone Reboot Training.

We are going to see long-term consequences from this pandemic. Long Haul Covid appears to be mimicking myalgic encephalopathy and chronic fatigue syndrome. And with so many infected, the disability and resultant long term health care needs are going to be tremendous. Supporting your hypothalamus may protect you from long haul covid.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can your hypothalamus cause weight gain?

Yes. The hypothalamus is the master regulator of metabolism, controlling how your body stores and burns energy through its signaling to the thyroid, adrenals, and pancreas. When the hypothalamus becomes dysregulated by chronic stress, poor sleep, inflammation, or blood sugar instability, it defends a higher weight "set point" — causing the body to hold onto fat regardless of diet or exercise. This makes hypothalamic dysfunction an upstream root cause of stubborn weight gain.

What is a weight set point and why won't mine move?

A weight set point is the body weight your hypothalamus works to defend, calibrated over time by stress, sleep, hormones, and inflammation. When you diet, the hypothalamus perceives scarcity and responds by slowing metabolism, increasing hunger hormones, and suppressing satiety signals to return you to that set point. This is why most people regain lost weight within two to five years of conventional dieting — the set point itself was never recalibrated, only temporarily overridden.

Why do I gain weight under stress even when I'm not eating more?

Chronic stress raises cortisol, which disrupts blood sugar regulation, promotes abdominal fat storage, and signals the hypothalamus that the body is under threat. In survival mode, the hypothalamus defends fat stores and slows metabolism — so weight can increase even without any change in calorie intake. The stress chemistry, not the food, is driving the weight gain, which is why stress reduction is essential to any lasting metabolic reset.

Why do I regain weight after stopping GLP-1 medications?

GLP-1 medications work peripherally on appetite and gastric signaling, but they do not address the underlying hypothalamic dysregulation that sets your defended weight. Because the hypothalamic set point is never recalibrated, the body resumes defending its original weight once the medication stops — leading to significant regain. Long-term success requires restoring hypothalamic regulation so the set point itself lowers, rather than relying on appetite suppression alone.

How long does it take to reset your metabolism?

Genuine metabolic recalibration takes a minimum of 90 days, because the hypothalamus needs consistent signals of safety and sufficiency before it will lower its defended set point. This differs from a diet, which produces temporary suppression the body quickly corrects. A 90-day reset typically moves through three phases: stabilizing stress chemistry (days 1–30), rebuilding metabolic efficiency (days 31–60), and lowering the weight set point (days 61–90).

Why does my thyroid feel slow even though my labs are "normal"?

Under chronic stress, the body converts thyroid hormone into reverse T3, which blocks active thyroid receptors and slows metabolism at the cellular level — even when standard lab values appear normal. This means you can experience genuine symptoms of slow metabolism, such as fatigue, cold intolerance, and brain fog, while your thyroid panel looks unremarkable. Addressing the upstream hypothalamic and stress signaling often improves thyroid conversion and symptoms.

Is stubborn weight gain a willpower problem?

No. Stubborn weight gain is a signaling problem, not a willpower problem. The hypothalamus governs weight through survival mechanisms that operate below conscious control — defending its set point by slowing metabolism and increasing hunger when it perceives threat. No amount of discipline can override this system; lasting change comes from restoring hypothalamic regulation through reduced stress, balanced blood sugar, restorative sleep, and targeted nutritional support.

About the Author - Deborah Maragopoulos FNP

Known as the Hormone Queen®️, I’ve made it my mission to help everyone - no matter their age - balance their hormones, and live the energy and joy their DNA and true destiny desires. See more about me my story here...

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Last Updated: December 12, 2025