Do You Have Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a condition where a person will experience repeated periods
of absent breathing throughout the night.
As a result, oxygen is not circulating to the brain and heart, which in severe cases could occur more than 500 times per night. The body responds to this by waking to take breaths over and over again. Snoring is often the most common sign that sleep apnea might be present.
Warning Signs of Sleep Apnea
- Daytime sleepiness
- Frequent night time awakenings
- Witnessed apnea (when a person stops breathing)
- Waking up gasping
- Morning headache or sore throat
- Irritability
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure
Consequences of Sleep Apnea
- Heart Attack
- Heart Failure
- High Blood Pressure
- Fatigue related motor vehicle accidents
- Fatigue related work accidents
- Stroke
- Lower quality of life
- Lower sex drive
What should you do if you suspect you or a loved one has sleep apnea?
Make an appointment with your primary care physician. The doctor may ask you or a loved one to fill out the following sleep questionnaire. Think you have sleep apnea? Take a sleep test.
EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is widely used in the field of sleep medicine as a subjective measure of a patient’s sleepiness. The test is a list of eight situations in which you rate your tendency to become sleepy on a scale of 0, no chance of dozing, to 3, high chance of dozing. When you finish the test, add up the values of your responses. Your total score is based on a scale of 0 to 24. The scale estimates whether you are experiencing excessive sleepiness that possibly requires medical attention.
What is the chance that you would fall asleep in the following settings?
Please use the scale listed to best describe your level of sleepiness and place the number in the box next to each situation.
0 = NEVER DOZE
1 = SLIGHT CHANCE OF DOZING
2 = MODERATE CHANCE OF DOZING
3 = DEFINITE CHANCE OF DOZING
| Do you get sleepy when you are: | Chance of Dozing |
| 1. Sitting and reading | |
| 2. Watching TV | |
| 3. Sitting, inactive in a public place such as a church, a meeting or a theater | |
| 4. As a passenger in a car for one hour with no break | |
| 5. Lying down to rest in the afternoon | |
| 6. Sitting and talking to someone | |
| 7. Sitting quietly after lunch without alcohol | |
| 8. As a passenger, stopped in traffic for a few minutes | |
| TOTAL |
Analyze Your Score
Interpretation: 0-7: It is unlikely that you are abnormally sleepy. 8-9: You have an average amount of daytime sleepiness. 10-15: You may be excessively sleepy depending on the situation. You may want to consider seeking medical attention. 16-24: You are excessively sleepy and should consider seeking medical attention.
Reference: Johns MW. A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: The Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep 1991; 14(6):540-5. Learn more on this website.