Updated on 28 October 2026 · By Andy Leleux, sleep technologist
This questionnaire is a screening tool. A high score should lead to a medical appointment: it may point to sleep apnea, but also to other conditions such as narcolepsy or restless legs syndrome.
How to answer
How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep in the situations described below, 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.
0
Never
Would never doze
1
Slight
Slight chance of dozing
2
Moderate
Moderate chance of dozing
3
High
High chance of dozing
How likely are you to doze off?
0 / 8 answeredSitting 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
Total score
Send these results to my doctor
Your doctor will receive an email from you, with your results written in the message and the full report attached.
Nothing you enter is sent to us. The report is built on your device, and the email goes out from your own mailbox.
0 to 10
Normal range
11 to 12
Excessive, mild
13 to 15
Excessive, moderate
16 to 24
Excessive, severe
Threshold for excessive sleepiness: above 10 (Johns and Hocking, 1997). The subdivision above it is the one commonly published.
Understanding your score
A score of 0 to 10 is considered within the normal range. Most healthy adults do not fall asleep in passive situations.
Above 10, this is excessive daytime sleepiness (Johns and Hocking, 1997). It is called mild from 11 to 12, moderate from 13 to 15.
At 16 or more, sleepiness is called severe: talk to your doctor soon, especially if you drive. Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of a road accident two- to threefold.
The scale measures sleepiness, not sleep apnea itself. Narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome or chronic lack of sleep can also produce a high score.
Add other questionnaires
What next?
Show your result to your GP or your pulmonologist: only they can interpret it. Sleepiness has many causes, and sleep apnea is only one of them.
Sources
- Johns MW. A New Method for Measuring Daytime Sleepiness: The Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep. 1991;14(6):540-5.
- Johns M, Hocking B. Daytime Sleepiness and Sleep Habits of Australian Workers. Sleep. 1997;20(10):844-9.
- Luzzi V, et al. Correlations of OSA and Daytime Sleepiness With the Risk of Car Accidents. J Clin Med. 2022;11(14):3971.