Sleep Apnea Risk Calculator: STOP-BANG Screening Tool
Answer the eight validated STOP-BANG screening items to estimate whether you fall into a low, intermediate, or high screening-risk band for obstructive sleep apnea. The result can help you decide whether to discuss testing with a healthcare professional, but it cannot diagnose sleep apnea.
STOP-BANG is a validated screening questionnaire, not a diagnostic test. The standard eight items are Snoring, Tiredness, Observed apnea, high blood Pressure, BMI >35 kg/m², Age >50, Neck circumference >40 cm, and male Gender. A score of 0–2 is commonly classified as low risk, 3–4 as an intermediate group, and 5–8 as high risk for moderate-to-severe OSA screening. These categories help organize screening risk; they do not diagnose OSA. Diagnosis requires appropriate sleep testing interpreted in clinical context.
STOP-BANG Sleep Apnea Risk Calculator
For adults only. Answer all eight STOP-BANG items. This implementation follows the standard scoring thresholds shown by the official STOP-Bang source. The result is a screening category, not a diagnosis or personal disease probability.
What Is Validated—and What SmartSleepCalc Adds
STOP-BANG scoring itself is validated in published research and widely used as an OSA screening tool.
Published STOP-BANG reviews commonly classify 0–2 as low risk and 5–8 as high risk for moderate-to-severe OSA. Scores of 3–4 are a middle group where additional clinical context or specific item combinations may refine screening risk.
The plain-English summaries on this page are editorial explanations. They are not part of the validated questionnaire and do not represent individualized medical advice.
These are general safety messages based on symptoms. They are not STOP-BANG scoring rules and never change your score.
What Your STOP-BANG Score Means
| Score | Screening category | Reasonable interpretation | Do not conclude |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 | Low risk | Lower screening risk for moderate-to-severe OSA. | That OSA is impossible or ruled out. |
| 3–4 | Intermediate risk | Screening result may support discussing symptoms and testing with a healthcare professional. | A diagnosis, disease severity, or a specific probability. |
| 5–8 | High risk | Higher screening risk for OSA and a stronger reason to seek clinical evaluation when symptoms or risk factors are present. | That you definitely have OSA or need a specific treatment. |
A 2016 review of STOP-BANG notes that 0–2 can be classified as low risk and 5–8 as high risk for moderate-to-severe OSA, with 3–4 treated as an intermediate group where additional clinical context may help refine risk.
Important Limitations of STOP-BANG
AASM diagnostic guidance warns against using questionnaires or prediction tools by themselves to diagnose OSA. Screening tools can miss people who have OSA and can also flag people who do not have clinically significant OSA.
Symptoms still matter. If you have witnessed apneas, severe daytime sleepiness, gasping, or persistent unrefreshing sleep, talk with a healthcare professional even if your score is low.
The score identifies screening risk. It does not measure apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen levels, or disease severity.
STOP-BANG targets obstructive sleep apnea risk. Heart failure, chronic opioid use, stroke, neuromuscular disease, and other conditions may require different clinical evaluation.
What Happens If You Need Sleep Apnea Testing?
A healthcare professional may recommend either an overnight sleep study in a sleep center or, for some uncomplicated adults, a home sleep apnea test. Which test is appropriate depends on your symptoms, medical history, and other conditions.
May be appropriate for selected uncomplicated adults with signs and symptoms suggesting increased risk of moderate-to-severe OSA. AASM describes HSAT as a medical assessment that should be ordered within clinical care; automatically scored output alone should not drive diagnosis or treatment.
In-lab testing remains the standard diagnostic test and may be preferred when other medical or sleep conditions complicate the picture.
When Symptoms Need Faster Attention
STOP-BANG score alone is not an emergency scale. Urgency should be based on symptoms and the clinical situation.
Repeated witnessed breathing pauses, choking or gasping during sleep, marked daytime sleepiness, near-miss driving events, or worsening symptoms are reasons to discuss sleep-apnea evaluation with a healthcare professional.
If you are struggling to stay awake, treat that as a safety warning regardless of your STOP-BANG score.
Risk Factors That Do Not Add STOP-BANG Points
Some health and lifestyle factors may still matter clinically, but they are not extra STOP-BANG points. Keep them separate from the validated score.
Can worsen airway collapsibility or breathing in some people. They do not add a STOP-BANG point.
May affect upper-airway symptoms or sleep quality but are not part of the validated 8-item score.
Can influence clinical risk but are not additional STOP-BANG points.
May be relevant to clinical assessment in some patients, but it is not part of STOP-BANG scoring.
Important because they can raise concern for central or other sleep-related breathing disorders. STOP-BANG is not designed to diagnose those conditions.
Not a treatment for undiagnosed sleep apnea. People with suspected OSA or nasal obstruction should not rely on mouth taping instead of evaluation.
Sleep Apnea Risk Calculator FAQs
Is STOP-BANG a validated questionnaire?
Yes. STOP-BANG was developed and validated as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea. It has also been studied in surgical, sleep-clinic, and general populations.
What exactly is validated on this page?
The eight STOP-BANG items, the 0–8 scoring method, and the standard low/intermediate/high screening bands are validated. SmartSleepCalc’s plain-English explanations, safety reminders, and internal links are editorial additions and are not part of STOP-BANG validation.
Does a STOP-BANG score of 5 mean I have sleep apnea?
No. It places you in a high screening-risk band, but only appropriate diagnostic testing and clinical evaluation can establish whether you have OSA.
Why doesn’t this calculator show an OSA probability percentage?
Probability varies by population, disease threshold, and study. Presenting one percentage as your personal chance of OSA would overstate what a simple questionnaire can tell you.
What neck circumference threshold does STOP-BANG use?
The standard STOP-BANG item used here scores 1 point when neck circumference is greater than 40 cm. SmartSleepCalc does not substitute a sex-specific 38 cm threshold into the validated score.
Can a low STOP-BANG score rule out sleep apnea?
No. A low score lowers screening risk but does not rule out OSA. Significant symptoms still deserve medical attention.
Can STOP-BANG detect central sleep apnea?
No. It was designed to screen for obstructive sleep apnea, not central sleep apnea. Conditions such as heart failure, chronic opioid use, prior stroke, or certain neuromuscular disorders may require different testing.
Can I use this result to decide whether I am safe to drive?
No. If you are dangerously sleepy, do not drive or perform safety-critical tasks regardless of your score.
Related SmartSleepCalc Tools
Sources & Methodology
- University Health Network. Official STOP-Bang screening questionnaire and scoring for the general population. Official STOP-Bang site
- Chung F et al. STOP questionnaire: a tool to screen patients for obstructive sleep apnea. Anesthesiology. 2008. PubMed
- Chung F, Abdullah HR, Liao P. STOP-Bang Questionnaire: A Practical Approach to Screen for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. PubMed
- Chung F et al. An update on the various practical applications of the STOP-Bang questionnaire in anesthesia, surgery, and perioperative medicine. PubMed
- Kapur VK et al. Clinical Practice Guideline for Diagnostic Testing for Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. AASM guideline
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Clinical use of a home sleep apnea test: updated position statement. AASM