Do You Have Sleep Apnoea This 5-Minute Test Could Help You Find Out

It’s thought up to 10 million people in the UK have obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) – where the walls of the throat relax and narrow or close during sleep.

The common condition can interrupt breathing, leading to broken rest throughout the night. 

Typical symptoms include stopping breathing for short periods throughout the night and making gasping, snorting or choking noises while you’re getting some shut-eye.

Not only can this raise your risk of developing certain conditions (like high blood pressure and heart disease), but it can also impact day-to-day life as you’ll probably end up feeling very tired during the day. 

For those who suspect they might have sleep apnoea, it could be useful to try the Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire.

What is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale?

The scale asks how likely it is for you to fall asleep in different situations like reading a book, watching TV, or travelling as a passenger in a car for an hour without a break.

A score of 11 or above suggests you should see a GP to discuss your daytime sleepiness and the causes of it. You can take the test here. 

Dr Tom Scammell, a sleep specialist at Harvard Medical School, said: “It’s really hard to put a number on it [sleepiness] but one of the best ways to understand sleepiness is to ask: how much does it impact one’s life.

“And so you can ask: does the sleepiness occur frequently when you’re reading the paper? When you’re riding in the car as a passenger? When you’ve had a big meal? When you’re trying to watch a movie?

“And one of the most common scales we use is something called the Epworth Sleepiness Scale … it helps categorise sleepiness into either none, or mild, moderate or severe.”

If you speak to a GP about your daytime sleepiness and they think you might have sleep apnoea, it’s likely they’ll refer you to a sleep clinic for further tests. 

The NHS says: “You may be given devices that check things like your breathing and heartbeat while you sleep.

“You’ll be asked to wear these overnight so doctors can check for signs of sleep apnoea.”

Excessive daytime sleepiness can also be a sign of narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, depression, bipolar disorder, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), so it’s important to get it checked out.