commentr/StutterOctober 18, 2019

Content

Sleep, diet, mental state. For me those have the biggest impact on how my week is going speech wise. Drinking coffee/alcohol/pop after 10pm can contribute to my stutter the next day, so I avoid them late at night. Sleeping less than 6-7 hours also contributes, and if I get into a habit of sleeping 4-6 hours a night well, before I know it my stutter goes full-time. A bad diet (read: daily junk food), and skipping meals does it too. I find this also includes being dehydrated in the cooler months when we forget to drink enough water. Finally mental state: are you stressed at school/work? How are your personal relationships going? Are you stressed out (more than usual) by something particular going on in your life? Are you obsessively using social media to offset your anxiety or mood? Do you browse the web mindlessly every night before bed? All these things contribute to my speech being worse. I don’t think it’s a 1:1 connection, but they contribute to increased anxiety and lowered confidence, which in my view is the root cause of stuttering perpetuating into adulthood for us.

Themes

Causes & VariabilityEmotional Experience

Subthemes

Energy & Biological RhythmsStress & Fight/FlightAnxiety & Social Judgment