View Original Version

Do You Know about the Epworth Sleepiness Scale?

The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is responsible for quantifying the daytime level of sleepiness. The ratings are associated with calculating the score and are not only subjective but also rely on the memory, which might be biased if the person is trying to prove that he is not sleepy or sleepy. This was known to be developed at the Epworth hospital of Melbourne Australia, in the 90s. This test is particularly intended for measuring the sleepiness level of a person during the daytime. The scale asks individuals to read the propensity of dozing off in several different situations. The likelihoods are normally ranked between 0 and three. According to https://www.inc.com, working out after work will also help in sleeping properly.

Three hypothetical situations

The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is presenting the person with 8 different hypothetical situations. To prove that a person is sleepy, patients have to score more than 10. Someone who scores more than 18 is considered to be extremely sleepy. You can consider the following scale for choosing an appropriate number for every situation:

  • No chance associated with nodding off.
  • The slight chance associated with dozing off.
  • The moderate chance associated with sleeping.
  • The high chance associated with falling asleep.

The situations include:

  • Sitting and reading something.
  • Chances of sleeping or dozing.
  • Watching TV.
  • Sitting inactive in public places.
  • Lying down during the afternoon.
  • Sitting and having a conversation with someone.
  • Sitting without talking to anyone at lunch.
  • Stopped in traffic after driving for a certain time.

The total score is responsible for running between 0 and 24. Based on the experience associated with people who have hypersomnia as well as several other sleep disorders when compared with absolutely healthy people, the cutoff score, 10, is used for identifying sleepiness during the day time. If the number is higher, it is responsible for indicating that the person is extremely sleepy. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is known to correlate with MSLT Score, where the score of 6 and 11 on the ESS scale is considered to be intermediate and that of 12 or even higher is considered to be extremely high on this MSLT scale.

The ESS will not be responsible for changes within a certain time frame and therefore, it is not perfect for measuring changes associated with sleepiness. Apart from that, it is also not the best tool, which helps to identify acute sleepiness.

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index

In the 1980s, the doctors of Pittsburgh University were responsible for devising an index, which would help in diagnosing as well as evaluating the quality of sleep. Known as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, this questionnaire is responsible for looking at the quality of sleep as well as disturbances for more than a single month.

According to recent journals published, both the PSQI and ESS scores are responsible for being stable when participants took these tests for more than one single time. The stability of these scores is responsible for suggesting that both the scales have validity.

Conclusion

Therefore, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale helps in identifying daytime sleepiness ideally. Make sure that you know all about the Epworth Sleepiness Scale to understand how it works.