The use of an online Epworth Sleepiness Scale to assess excessive daytime sleepiness

PURPOSE: Excessive daytime sleepiness is the most common complaint reported in sleep clinics. We hypothesised that utilising modern media to deliver an online Epworth Sleepiness Scale, age- and gender-related differences in subjective daytime sleepiness could be assessed. METHODS: Age, gender and online Epworth Sleepiness Scale (range 0–24 points) of 39,448 subjects were recorded between January 2013 and November 2015. RESULTS: A significant trend, for males but not females, was found between age and Epworth score (p < 0.001). Average scores were higher for female subjects in their 1st and 2nd (p = 0.014), 3rd (p < 0.011) and 4th lifetime decade (p = 0.011), whereas male subjects conveyed significantly higher levels of sleepiness in their 7th lifetime decade (p < 0.001). Individual item analysis found differences between gender; females scored significantly higher than males in items 1, 4 and 5, while male subjects had higher scores for items 3, 6, 7 and 8. Lowest levels of sleepiness were reported for item 8 and highest scores for item 5. CONCLUSIONS: The use of an online Epworth Sleepiness Scale identifies gender- and age-specific differences and facilitates new pathways in the delivery of chronic care.