Procrastination: Another Barrier to Proper Treatment of Sleep Apnea Conditions

By Admin

According to Sleepapnea.org, over 20 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea while 80 percent remain untreated. And that number does not even include the milder cases of sleep apnea that are ignored for years by some Americans. While the issue of treatment adherence is often discussed in online forums about sleep apnea and other similar disorders, the issue of simple procrastination is not often addressed. Procrastination, if allowed to continue for long periods of time, can be just as damaging as outright refusal of treatment. The result is the same: your condition is not getting treated, and the consequences can be severe. Sleep apnea not only causes daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and fragmented sleep issues, but is also linked to comorbid conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and metabolic problems like diabetes. Apnea events can also contribute to mood problems such as depression and anxiety, often without the sufferer being aware of the connection. In fact, the procrastination itself may be a result of mood problems associated with sleep apnea symptoms. In the long term, this vicious cycle of cumulative health problems can lead to early mortality if not addressed, and every day the symptoms remain, there may be a higher chance for automobile or work accidents as a result. Most of us are guilty of some amount of procrastination when it comes to daily responsibilities, and this is especially true at a time when once mundane activities like trips to the supermarket have become potentially serious health risks, but allowing a disorder to progress without treatment can have lasting, possibly irrevocable consequences. Whether you’re putting off an important visit to the health center or setting aside new CPAP equipment for another day, the lack of treatment is affecting your health, your safety, and your quality of life

A Matter of Habit

Procrastination can become a habit, either in small amounts or as a serious problem that progresses over time. In either case, a possible solution to an unhealthy habit is to replace it with behaviors that are healthier and more conducive to your needs and goals. While many assume that procrastination is related to issues of self control, studies have found that it may be more closely related to rumination or overthinking potential negative outcomes. In other words, stress, or perceived stress, is often the key factor causing delay, but researchers have also seen links to “depressiveness, anxiety, fatigue, and reduced life satisfaction.” These connections are further complicated by the significant amount of overlap between causal factors and disorder symptoms. Once again, there is potential for negative feedback loops of symptom-related causal factors, which can even be self-destructive in extreme cases. The research cited above, conducted in Germany and published by the Public Library of Science, concluded that procrastination, in the dysfunctional sense, is linked to delayed medical treatments and less health care utilization. This shows that, 1: procrastination of medical treatments is common in a general sense, and 2: it is dysfunctional in relation to the treatment of disease. In fact, the study authors refer to procrastination as “a universal phenomenon,” which, by its nature, is difficult to treat. While some psychologists recommend time management strategies and focus issues as a way to direct habits toward healthier decisions, in many cases, there are additional barriers on top of the habitual behaviors leading to procrastination. This is especially relevant during an international pandemic, a time when the healthcare system itself can be a deterrent.

A Matter of Convenience, Cost, or Access to Care

In a cross-sectional national survey on healthcare avoidance, over half of the participants cited barriers to treatment as reasons for not seeking medical care. Nearly a quarter of respondents mentioned the high cost of care (24.1 percent), while a subset reported lack of health insurance (8.3 percent), or time constraints (15.6 percent). The highest percentage, over a third of the participants (33.3 percent) reported unfavorable experiences with medical staff or organizations as a primary reason for avoiding care. Only the smallest percentage, 4 percent of the total, reported to believe their illnesses would improve on their own over time. This means that the vast majority of participants had medical concerns that they did want to address, but for various reasons they could not seek the treatment they needed. While access to healthcare may seem like a much larger problem than procrastination, it is both a cause and a result of undervaluing health, which leads to procrastination on a much larger scale. In the same way, procrastination is often less simple than it seems. There are issues, either overt or underlying, that provoke the stalling behavior, and those issues can only be addressed when the cycle of procrastination ends.

It is also important to note that this survey was taken years before the current pandemic (2016). Conditions now are likely more difficult to access and much less convenient. Procrastination, on top of these problems, can lead to long periods of untreated conditions. In such a situation, it will take a considerable amount of effort to break the cycle of procrastination and make treatment a top priority in your life.

A Matter of Priority

A small subset of participants (12.2 percent) in the healthcare avoidance survey reported a low perceived need to seek medical care as their reason for avoidance. On the one hand, this may seem like a reassuring result, but on the other hand, it represents only one reason for procrastination among many. When life and other barriers can get in the way, as mentioned above, such attitudes are only one additional factor leading to the same conclusion. There is also an important distinction to make here. As defined, procrastination means “putting off intended action,” which also means that it’s not procrastination if you are simply avoiding something altogether. Intention is a must. Unfortunately, there are plenty of sleep apnea sufferers who avoid treatment of any kind, but they are not procrastinating; they are refusing treatment. The idea here is that a will offers a way, and the more attention you give to intended treatments, the more likely you will seek treatment and experience the benefits of improved health.

Procrastination is yet another roadblock in the path to healthier living. There are many such roadblocks, but in a sense, procrastination is one of the easier problems to overcome. Even if procrastination is a serious problem in your life, you can supersede those tendencies if you prioritize your health. For whatever reason, whatever situation, habit, or fear that keeps you from the clinic or keeps you from potentially life-saving therapy, the solution begins with your priorities. The more you value your health, the more incentive you will have to end the waiting and take control of your life, your health needs, and your future.