Very rarely does the average person pay attention to their speech until something goes wrong. You’re talking casually to your friends and laughing out loud when, suddenly, you notice that you’re not pronouncing some words right. You’ve got sentences stringed in your head that you can’t properly articulate, but you shrug it off. As the days pass, you observe that things are getting worse.
While this doesn’t immediately mean that you’re suffering from a serious disease, it could be a symptom pointing to a budding or unnoticed problem. Any sudden changes to your speech should be investigated to treat its cause. Here are three of the most common triggers you need to know about:
Classic Stress
Stress causes a myriad of difficulties and diseases. When you’re worn out, either physically, mentally, or emotionally, symptoms crop up. It’s different for many people, but experiencing a variety of speech problems is a normal occurrence when you’re under a lot of stress. You’ve probably stumbled over your words just talking to someone you want to impress.
Other problems like an extensive difficulty in articulating your thoughts or stringing words in the right order are more serious, though. Your tongue and lips might feel unable to form the words or say certain letters. This happens when you’ve pushed yourself beyond your limits, and you’re functioning on your last ounce of energy.
In this case, your best move is to get a decent amount of sleep. Take a day off work and set aside the junk food. Recovery is crucial in ensuring that every part of your body operates as it should. This is especially important if you’re suffering from mental fatigue. Having trouble with your speech might be your body’s way of telling you to go slow and practice better self-care.
Jaw Injury
Your jaw supports many crucial functions, like eating and talking. When it gets either fractured or dislocated, you won’t have the comfort of normal speech or any other movement for that matter. Swelling may occur, as well as bruising and numbing.
One would think that it’s easy to detect jaw problems the moment they transpire. You’re probably assuming it’s only possible when the facial trauma happens through car accidents, bad falls, and severe blows. Injuring your jaw, however, can be much simpler than that. You can over-exert this bone by yawning, vomiting, and biting. A dental procedure, too, can have side effects that trigger pain and swelling. You can imagine how difficult it would be to speak or even think clearly while enduring all these symptoms.
When you notice the signs of a fracture or a dislocation, seek expert medical help at once. To reset your jaw, you could need maxillofacial surgery. The USA has many reputable surgeons that can treat you. Moving forward, you’ll want to be more careful to avoid further jaw injuries or complex treatments.
Simple Medications
Another logical explanation would be the medications and food supplements you’re taking. Are you downing vitamin C capsules twice or thrice a day? Do you frequently take allergy meds? Do you use some to regulate your blood pressure? All these have side effects that can affect your speech.
These can harm your vocal cords either by making them prone to injuries or drying their protective mucus. Fluid retained in your blood can also make your voice sound unusual because it enlarges your vocal cords.
If you suspect that they’re the cause of your persistent speech problems, go to your doctor for advice. Professionals are better qualified to confirm this and give you alternatives that won’t trigger the same side effects.
Pay Attention to Your Speech
Dismissing speech problems can lead to a late diagnosis. Even when the cause is a classic case of stress, you should always take extra measures to confirm and treat it. After all, it would be terrible if you find yourself unable to talk at all because of these issues.
