Does Sleep Deprivation Cause Slurred Speech?

Brief Answer:
Several possible causes discussed and recommendations given

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for asking at healthcaremagic.

I carefully read your question and understand your concern.

The symptoms you mention can be caused by many diseases or conditions and i am going to mention some and give explanations related to them. Before i do so i would like to explain that many times thorough examination is needed to determine the cause of these symptoms.

A common cause of these symptoms might be in case you are overloaded or stressed. In this case our mind does not work the same way it did and we might slow down a little making us having problems concentrate and think properly. If we also have problems with sleep, appetite changes, loss of interests, feel guilty or find life not worthy than very likely depression might be causing all these.

In some cases sleep deprivation might be a cause of similar symptoms.

I don't have much information on your post medical history if you have any chronic conditions or take medications regularly as some medications might effect our thinking also.

Thyroid issues might effect the way we handle overload and stress and sometimes problems with it can cause us these problems. Illicit drugs and alcohol might effect our brain by causing problems with thinking and speech.

A kind of epilepsy called petit mal can cause some short couple of seconds disruption of awareness and the patient comes back to his norm very quick and sometimes is difficult to be noticed. These do not generally start in this age, should have been there long ago so seems less likely to be the cause in your case.

To be able to determine the cause of your symptoms you will need a visit with your doctor. He will do a thorough history and examination and determine if it is just stress and or depression the cause (might give you some forms to fill, which will help him better determine). Otherwise he might ask you to have some tests. The most likely ones he will order are:
- CBC (rules out anemia), ERS
- TSH (for thyroid function)
- a general biochemical check for your age and gender is wise to be done if not done in the last year (blood glucose level, lipids, ECG, urinalysis, creatinine, electrolites, ALT, bilirubine)
- if your doctor suspects of possible seizures than an ultrasound of neck arteries might be recommended and also and EEG that examines brain waves
- after the results of these tests the doctor should have more understanding of the cause of your symptoms. Rarely he might need other tests like MRI or CT scan.

I hope this gives some clarification to your questions but please feel free to reply in case more questions concern you related to this.

Kind regards,

Antoneta Zotaj, MD

---