The Epworth Sleepiness Scale
What It Measures
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is a short, self-rated questionnaire that shows how likely someone is to doze off during ordinary daily situations such as watching TV, riding as a passenger in a car, or sitting quietly after lunch. Rather than measuring how tired a person feels in the moment, it looks at their general tendency toward daytime sleepiness across everyday life.
The ESS has 8 items, each rated 0–3 for the chance of dozing in that situation, for a total score from 0–24; higher scores point to greater excessive daytime sleepiness, with scores above roughly 10 often prompting further sleep evaluation. Occupational therapists use it with people of all ages in skilled nursing and outpatient settings to screen for sleep-related concerns that could affect safety and daily function, and a modified version (ESS-CHAD) is available for children and adolescents ages 7–18.
Further Reading
Additional Notes
The ESS is copyrighted by Dr. Murray Johns and a license is required for its use. Registration is free for students, clinicians, and not-funded academic users. Fees may apply for funded research, healthcare organizations, and commercial use.
