A STOP-Bang score of 0 to 2 means low risk of obstructive sleep apnea, 3 to 4 means intermediate risk and 5 to 8 means high risk. The questionnaire does not set one score that requires a sleep study, but a score of 5 to 8, or 3 to 4 with extra risk factors such as a BMI over 35, marks you as high risk for moderate to severe sleep apnea (Chung et al., 2016), and that is a clear reason to ask your doctor about a sleep study. STOP-Bang is a short, 8-question screening tool that is good at catching moderate and severe cases, but a high score means you should be tested, not that you have sleep apnea.
Want a quick check of your own warning signs? Our sleep apnea risk calculator goes through the night signs, daytime symptoms and risk factors and tells you whether to ask your doctor about a sleep test.
What Is The STOP-Bang Questionnaire?
STOP-Bang is a set of 8 yes-or-no questions that doctors use to screen for obstructive sleep apnea. It was developed by Dr. Frances Chung and colleagues at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, first for patients before surgery (Chung et al., 2008).
The name is a memory aid for what it covers:
| Letter | Covers |
|---|---|
| S | Snoring |
| T | Tiredness in the day |
| O | Observed pauses in breathing |
| P | Blood pressure |
| B | Body mass index |
| A | Age |
| N | Neck size |
| G | Gender |
The questionnaire is the property of University Health Network, which asks anyone who wants to use it to request permission. You can take the official version on the STOP-Bang website, or your doctor can go through it with you.
How Is STOP-Bang Scored?
Each yes scores 1 point, for a total from 0 to 8. The official site groups the general population into three risk bands (stopbang.ca):
| Score | Risk of obstructive sleep apnea |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 | Low |
| 3 to 4 | Intermediate |
| 5 to 8 | High |
Someone can also count as high risk with a lower total: a yes to 2 or more of the first four questions (snoring, tiredness, observed pauses, pressure) together with male sex, a BMI over 35 or a large neck.
The bands track real risk. In the developers’ summary, the chance of moderate to severe sleep apnea rises from 18% at a score of 0 to 2 to 60% at 7 to 8, and the chance of severe sleep apnea from 4% to 38% (Chung et al., 2016).
How Accurate Is STOP-Bang?
STOP-Bang is very sensitive, which means it rarely misses people with significant sleep apnea. In the original study of surgical patients who also had an overnight sleep study, the full questionnaire picked up:
| Sleep apnea level (apnea-hypopnea index) | Share of cases detected |
|---|---|
| Any (over 5 events an hour) | 83.6% |
| Moderate to severe (over 15 an hour) | 92.9% |
| Severe (over 30 an hour) | 100% |
Adding body mass index, age, neck size and gender to the original four questions is what raised these figures (Chung et al., 2008). The other side of a very sensitive test is that some people with a high score turn out not to have sleep apnea, so a positive screen leads to testing rather than a diagnosis. The original study was also in surgical patients, so results in the general population can differ.
What STOP-Bang Score Warrants A Sleep Study?
There is no single published cut-off that orders a test. The developers class 0 to 2 as low risk and 5 to 8 as high risk for moderate to severe sleep apnea, and say a midrange score of 3 or 4 needs further criteria, such as a BMI over 35, to classify (Chung et al., 2016). A sleep study is the most accurate way to diagnose sleep apnea (stopbang.ca), so use your score to decide how urgently to talk to a doctor, not to diagnose yourself.
| Score | Suggested next step |
|---|---|
| Low (0 to 2) | Sleep apnea is less likely. Recheck if snoring, pauses or sleepiness appear. |
| Intermediate (3 to 4) | Mention it to your doctor, especially with daytime sleepiness or high blood pressure. |
| High (5 to 8) | Ask your doctor about a sleep test. |
Whatever your score, see a doctor promptly if someone has seen you stop breathing, you wake up gasping, or you fall asleep while driving.
Bring the details with you: how loud and how often you snore, whether anyone has noticed pauses, how sleepy you feel in the day, and your blood pressure readings. A bed partner can often answer the night-time questions better than you can.
How Is Sleep Apnea Actually Diagnosed?
Sleep apnea is diagnosed with a sleep study. Your doctor may arrange a home sleep apnea test, which records breathing and oxygen overnight in your own bed, or an in-lab sleep study for more complex cases (AASM Sleep Education). The result, the apnea-hypopnea index, counts how many times an hour breathing stops or becomes shallow.
What Are The Warning Signs Of Sleep Apnea?
While asleep, the signs are breathing that stops and starts, frequent loud snoring and gasping for air. During the day, they include sleepiness and tiredness, a dry mouth and morning headaches (NHLBI). You may not know about the night-time signs until someone tells you, so ask a bed partner. Our guide to snoring causes and solutions explains when snoring is harmless and when it is not.
STOP-Bang vs A Symptom Checklist vs A Sleep Study: What Is The Difference?
They answer different questions. Screening tools estimate how likely sleep apnea is; only a sleep study measures it.
| STOP-Bang | Symptom and risk checklist | Sleep study | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Scores 8 yes-or-no items | Groups warning signs and risk factors | Records breathing, oxygen and sleep overnight |
| Where | Doctor or official website | Online, such as our calculator | At home or in a sleep lab |
| Result | Low, intermediate or high risk | Whether to talk to a doctor | A diagnosis and severity |
| Can it diagnose? | No | No | Yes |
The usual path is a screen first, then a sleep study if the screen or your symptoms suggest it.
Can You Lower Your Risk Of Sleep Apnea?
Some risk factors, such as age, sex and family history, cannot be changed, but others can. Healthy lifestyle changes can help lower the risk, and keeping a healthy weight can help prevent or treat sleep apnea caused by obesity (NHLBI). Alcohol and sedating medicines can make it harder to wake from sleep and lengthen pauses in breathing, so avoid them close to bedtime. If you already have symptoms, these changes are not a substitute for testing and treatment.
Why Does Sleep Apnea Screening Matter?
Untreated obstructive sleep apnea is linked to high blood pressure and heart disease, and daytime sleepiness makes driving and work riskier. Weight also plays a big role in both directions; see the link between sleep apnea and weight gain and sleep apnea health risks. Screening tools like STOP-Bang exist so that more people get tested and treated.
Check your signs now with the sleep apnea risk calculator, then take the result to your doctor.
STOP-Bang FAQs
What Does STOP-Bang Stand For?
Snoring, Tiredness, Observed breathing pauses, blood Pressure, BMI, Age, Neck size and Gender.
What Is A High STOP-Bang Score?
5 to 8 is high risk, 3 to 4 intermediate and 0 to 2 low risk for obstructive sleep apnea.
Can STOP-Bang Diagnose Sleep Apnea?
No. It is a screening tool. Only a sleep study can diagnose sleep apnea and measure how severe it is.
Is STOP-Bang Accurate For Women?
The questionnaire gives a point for male sex, so women may score lower at the same level of sleep apnea. Talk to a doctor about symptoms whatever your score.
Where Can I Take The STOP-Bang Questionnaire?
On the official STOP-Bang website or with your doctor. Our sleep apnea risk calculator is a different checklist, not STOP-Bang.
Do I Need A Sleep Test With A Score Of 3?
A score of 3 to 4 is intermediate risk. Mention it to your doctor, who will weigh it with your symptoms and health.