The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is a questionnaire intended to measure daytime sleepiness. This can be helpful in diagnosing sleep disorders.

The instrument

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How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep in the following situations, in contrast to feeling just tired? This refers to your usual way of life in recent times. Even if you have not done some of these things recently try to work out how they would have affected you.

Use the following scale to choose the most appropriate number for each situation:

• 0 = no chance of dozing
• 1 = slight chance of dozing
• 2 = moderate chance of dozing
• 3 = high chance of dozing

Situation	Chance Of Dozing
Sitting and reading
Watching TV
Sitting inactive in a public place (e.g a theater or a meeting)
As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break
Lying down to rest in the afternoon when circumstances permit
Sitting and talking to someone
Sitting quietly after a lunch without alcohol
In a car, while stopped for a few minutes in traffic

To check your sleepiness score, total the points:

• 1 - 6: Congratulations, you are getting enough sleep!
• 7 - 8: Your score is average
• 9 and up: Seek the advice of a sleep specialist without delay

Source: (Dement 2000).

History

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The Epworth Sleepiness Scale was developed by Dr. Murray Johns of the Epworth Hospital in Melbourne, Australia .

Links to Epworth Sleepiness Scale on the World Wide Web

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• stanford.edu/~dement/epworth.html, by Dr. William Dement of Stanford University. Cited elsewhere as (Dement 2000).
• SleepQuest, a commercial site associated with Dr. Dement.
• drugdigest.org, cited elsewhere as (DrugDigest 2005)
• sleepeducation.com

References

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