Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)
Source: Johns MW. A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep. 1991;14(6):540–545.
Source: Johns MW. A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep. 1991;14(6):540–545.
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 haven't done some of these things recently, try to work out how they would have affected you.
Sitting and reading
Watching TV
Sitting, inactive in a public place (e.g. a theatre 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 the traffic
0 / 24
0 of 8 answered — the total is only meaningful once all eight are rated.
A total above 10 is the conventionally used threshold for excessive daytime sleepiness. That cut-off is not printed on the questionnaire itself, and the ESS is a screening aid — it does not diagnose a sleep disorder on its own.