Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)
If you're worried about how tired you feel during the day, think about the questions below. It may be helpful to ask a friend or family member to help you with your answers.
How likely are you to fall asleep in the following everyday situations? Consider this separately from just feeling tired.
Think about the following everyday situations, even if you haven't done these things recently. How might they affect you?
Choose the most appropriate response for each situation:
- would never fall asleep
- slight chance of falling asleep
- moderate chance of falling asleep
- high chance of falling asleep
What does my score mean?
The results are:
- 0-5 lower normal daytime sleepiness
- 6-10 normal daytime sleepiness
- 11-12 mild daytime symptoms
- 13-15 moderate daytime symptoms
- 16-24 severe daytime symptoms
There are many reasons why you might feel sleepy during the day.
A few common causes of sleepiness are:
- not sleeping well enough
- an unhealthy lifestyle, such as not eating well or not getting much exercise
- stress, feeling unwell or side effects from some medicines
- hormonal changes, such as puberty, pregnancy or the menopause.
A total score between 11 and 24 might suggest you're feeling unusually sleepy during the day.
When should I contact my GP?
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale cannot tell you whether you have OSA on its own.
You should always speak to your GP if your sleepiness is affecting your daily life, or if you're concerned about your sleep. You can share your survey results with your GP to help them understand your symptoms.
Based on your scores and how sleepiness affects you, your GP may refer you to a sleep clinic. This is so you can do further tests, like a sleep study, which can help to diagnose OSA. If the results from the sleep study show you have OSA, they can help to identify whether your OSA is mild, moderate or severe.
We have more information on common symptoms of OSA and diagnosing OSA.
Copyright © MW Johns 1990-1997. Used under license. Sample copy - do not use without permission. Contact information and permission to use: Mapi Research Trust, Lyon, France eprovide.mapi-trust.org. A version for adolescents has also been created, ESS-CHAD (copyright © MW Johns, 1990, 2015).
How we develop our health information
About our health information
All our information is reviewed and updated by Asthma + Lung UK’s experienced Health Advice Team. People living with lung conditions, qualified healthcare professionals and specialists also review our content.
This information has been clinically reviewed by Dr Andy Whittamore, a GP with a specialist interest in respiratory medicine.
Our information is based on the latest, trustworthy evidence and guidelines. Below is a sample list of the sources referenced in our Epworth Sleepiness Scale information.
- MW Johns, About the ESS – Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Accessed: December 2024
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS). Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Accessed: December 2024
- NHS. Tiredness and fatigue. Accessed: December 2024
If you'd like a full list of the sources we've used to produce our health information, you can email us at healthadvicequeries@asthmaandlung.org.uk.
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