A NEW METHOD FOR MEASURING DAYTIME SLEEPINESS - THE EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE
A NEW METHOD FOR MEASURING DAYTIME SLEEPINESS - THE EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE
Murray W. Johns
Sleep Disorders Unit, Epworth Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Summary: The development and use of a new scale, the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), is described. This is a simple, self-administered questionnaire which is shown to provide a measurement of the subject’s general level of daytime sleepiness. One hundred and eighty adults answered the ESS, including 30 normal men and women as controls and 150 patients with a range of sleep disorders. They rate the chances that they would doze off or fall asleep when in eight different situations commonly encountered in daily life. Total ESS scores significantly distinguished normal subjects form patients in various diagnostic groups including obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, narcolepsy and idiopathic hybersomnia. ESS scores were significantly correlated with sleep latency measured during the multiple sleep latency test and during overnight polysomnography. In patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome ESS scores were significantly correlated with the respiratory disturbance index and the minimum SaO2 recorded overnight. ESS scores of patients who simply snored did not differ from controls. Key Words: Sleepiness – Questionnaire – Sleep propensity – Insomnia- Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:01 am
Dr. Johns,
In the interest of educating and increasing the awareness level of sleep disorders for our fire departments’ line staff, administration and elected officials, we are currently designing a study to identify the potential for intrinsic sleep disorders and their associated health and safety risks with our firefighters. This will be accomplished in the form of an applied research paper that will be submitted to the National Fire Academy in the United States.
I would like to offer my appreciation and thanks for posting your report online. It will greatly assist us in both giving direction and a well documented validation tool for the in-house research project that our fire department is currently involved in. The ESS has proven to be the gold standard for assessing daytime sleepiness and is a necessary component for our research paper.
While intrinsic sleep disorders and SWSD are not completely new to the fire service, the awareness level of these disorders as being a significant health and safety risk is gaining momentum in what is already an obviously hazardous occupation. Your groundbreaking research from 1991 to present day will be used as an integral tool to allow us to increase the awareness and educational aspects of sleep disorders in both our department and the fire service as a whole.
Respectfully,
Darin Reid
Deputy Fire Chief
Stanwood Camano Fire Department
WA, USA