Assessment: Do You Have a Sleep Disorder?

Quizzes

Do You Have a Sleep Disorder?

Deepi Brar
CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE

Are you always sleepy or exhausted? Do you suspect you have a sleep disorder? Take the Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire, developed by sleep researchers in Australia. It's a quick and convenient way to screen for extreme daytime sleepiness, which is usually caused by a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea (trouble breathing while sleeping) or narcolepsy (falling asleep suddenly, or "sleep attacks").

However, this questionnaire is not so good at picking out people who simply have insomnia (trouble falling or staying asleep) or who just aren't getting enough hours of sleep because of their busy schedules -- those situations don't always cause serious daytime drowsiness. That means if you score in the normal range on this quiz, you might still need help sleeping better, especially if you feel that something isn't quite right with your sleeping patterns.

What is your likelihood of dozing off while:

sitting and reading?

-none
-slight
-moderate
-high

watching TV?

-none
-slight
-moderate
-high

sitting in a theater or classroom?

-none
-slight
-moderate
-high

riding in a car for an hour or more?

-none
-slight
-moderate
-high

lying down to rest during the day?

-none
-slight
-moderate
-high

sitting and talking to someone?

-none
-slight
-moderate
-high

sitting by yourself after lunch (and you didn't drink alcohol)?

-none
-slight
-moderate
-high

sitting in a car stopped in traffic for a few minutes?

-none
-slight
-moderate
-high