What Is An Epworth Test?
Do you ever find yourself dozing off at your desk? Are you enticed at lunch to catch a few extra ZZZ’s and take a quick snooze? Do those mid-afternoon meetings hit you extra hard because you’re sleepy? If so, the Epworth test may be helpful for you.
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale
The Epworth Test, or Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is a questionnaire used by doctors to sometimes assess daytime sleepiness. Named after Dr. Murray Johns of Epworth Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, the Epworth test gives patients a list of eight day-time situations for which they must self-assess their likelihood to fall asleep or become sleepy.
The Test
The scale for patients is 0 - 3; 0 being no change of dozing while 3 means a high chance of dozing. The sum of each question’s rating gives an overall number for which is used to “grade” the patient. A rating of 0 - 9 is usually considered normal while 10 - 24 indicated the need to seek medical advice. A score between 11 - 15 could indicate moderate levels of sleep problems, such as mild sleep apnea or narcolepsy.
Dr. Murray Johns of Epworth Hospital
Why Was A Test Created?
Sleep is such a personal thing. The creation of a standard test was meant to provide the medical field some sort of consistency in ratings for patients. It gives doctors a standard to use for both initial tests and follow up after any treatment.
Why Does Daytime Sleepiness Matter?
Daytime sleepiness is important for two main reasons. The first is that it can be a bigger indicator of a sleep problem. Consistent and persistent sleepiness could indicate something that is impacting the quality of your sleep. Since sleep has so many vital benefits to a persons’ physical and mental health, it's important to take sleep quality seriously.
The second reason daytime sleepiness matters is that it can make regular daytime activities more dangerous and impact your personal and professional life. Driving, operating machinery or even cooking could become a hazard if you aren’t fully engaged or awake during it. Dozing off or losing track of events could impact work performance and personal relationships. It’s hard to feel fully engaged with what’s happening around you if you are sleepy.
When do you Need an Epworth Test?
The Epworth test is meant to help identify medical issues that may be causing persistent tiredness or excessive daytime sleepiness. It is not meant to test if you are sleepy one day.
Look at the big picture of your sleep habits if you think that you may need an Epworth test. There are many reasons that people may have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or getting quality sleep.
Taking an Epworth Test
If you believe that you suffer from persistent tiredness or excessive daytime sleepiness, speak to your doctor. Be as honest as possible and be open to other suggestions your doctor may have to help you with you sleep quality.