For millions of people across the world, sleep is a retreat. Time spent away from the day’s worries which dissolve in the unconsciousness as one’s mind drifts off to ‘la la land’. For a few hours, a person is able to find solace away from the hustle and bustle of earning the daily bread.

Sleep, at the end of the day, then turns into a moment of solitude whether one simply wants to ‘wash away’ the day’s tiredness, spend time alone or simply, escape reality and relax.

The Bible recommends this sleep in handfuls of verses and so do doctors who constantly preach of the proverbial seven to eight hours of quality deep sleep.

But then, what if this sleep becomes a problem for you?

Have you ever found yourself in a position where you are constantly sleepy and can barely function at optimum? You find that your brain is unable to regulate your sleep-wake cycles and have sudden urges to sleep at inappropriate times such as when driving, walking, talking or even working?

Did you just think it was extreme exhaustion and your body probably needed time off to rest and you would be okay? Or have faced accusations of being too lazy and lacking in discipline because you are always sleepy or asleep?

In spite of the negative stereotypes, you could be dealing with a sleepiness issue that may require medical attention.

According to Dr Samuel Nyaga, an Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon at The Nairobi Hospital and a Sleep Disorder Specialist at the Sleep Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Kileleshwa, Nairobi, a person can self evaluate their sleepiness using screening tools; and know whether they need to come in for consultation and treatment if it has become a problem to them.

“There are self-administered questionnaires we commonly use in hospitals called the Epworth Sleepiness Scale that asks a few questions about a patient’s sleepiness and everything related to it. From the score you get, it may indicate if you have some underlying sleep disorder problem. After self-evaluation, you trust the results and you come to see me, I will treat you because you did not self-evaluate for fun. You did it because you suspected there could be a problem,” said Dr Nyaga.

The Epworth Sleepiness Scale, therefore, is used in sleep medicine as a subjective measure of sleepiness. The test is a list of eight situations in which a person rates their tendency to become sleepy on a scale of 0, no chance of dozing, to 3, high chance of dozing.

The Sleepiness Scale asks 8 major questions that follow below:

1. How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep when sitting and reading?
2. How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep when watching TV?
3. How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep when sitting inactive in a public place such as a theater or in a meeting?
4. How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep as a passenger in a car for an hour without a break?
5. How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep when lying down to rest in the afternoon when circumstances permit?
6. How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep when sitting and talking to someone?
7. How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep when sitting quietly after a lunch without alcohol?
8. How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep when in a car while stopped for a few minutes in traffic?

One rates themselves from 0 for no chance, 1 for slight chance, 2 for moderate chance and 3 for high chances of dozing off.

In tallying the answers, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale then interpret the scores as follows, “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 and 16-24:You are excessively sleepy and should consider seeking medical attention.”