Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)
Psychology: Health & SleepReliability: alpha 0.883 sample items
About this scale
An 8-item self-report measure of daytime sleepiness — the propensity to doze in everyday situations. Used widely in occupational health and sleep medicine.
Sample item(s)
“Sitting and reading”
“Watching TV”
“Sitting inactive in a public place”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.88. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Commercial license for some uses.
Source & citation
Johns, M. W. (1991): A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: The Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep, Vol. 14, No. 6, pp. 540–545.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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