The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is a diagnostic tool used to gauge a patient’s sleepiness. Patients rate how likely they are to doze off in a variety of everyday situations. After you complete it, you tally up your score, which tells you how likely it is that you have a sleep problem.
This is simply a screening test, not a diagnostic test. It can’t tell you for sure whether or not you have a problem with sleep, but if you get a high score on the sleep test, then it’s a good idea to talk with a doctor about your sleep. There might be medical treatments that can help you to get better sleep.
The following scenarios will help you determine how easy it is for you to nod off without realizing it. Please rate your responses, not just on feeling tired, but how likely it is that you’ll actually fall asleep. For those activities which you might not be familiar with, try to determine how they might affect you based on similar circumstances. For each scenario, give a score based on the following scale:
Write down the number for each item.
Now, add all of the numbers together to get your total score.
0-7: It is unlikely that you are abnormally sleepy.
8-9: You have an average amount of daytime sleepiness.
10-15: You may be excessively sleepy, depending on the situation. You may want to consider
seeking medical attention.
16-24: You are excessively sleepy and should strongly consider seeking medical attention.