How STOP-BANG scoring works
STOP-BANG stands for Snoring, Tiredness, Observed apnea, high blood Pressure, BMI, Age, Neck circumference, and Gender. Each positive factor adds one point to your stop bang score (maximum 8).
| Letter | Item | Counts as +1 when |
|---|---|---|
| S | Snoring | Loud snoring (through a door / disturbs partner) |
| T | Tired | Daytime tiredness, fatigue, or sleepiness |
| O | Observed | Someone saw breathing stop, choke, or gasp |
| P | Pressure | High blood pressure or treatment for it |
| B | BMI | Body mass index over 35 (helper above) |
| A | Age | Age over 50 |
| N | Neck | Neck circumference over 16 in / 40 cm |
| G | Gender | Male sex at birth |
For general screening, 0 to 2 points is often treated as low risk, 3 to 4 points as intermediate risk, and 5 to 8 points as high risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Use the calculator above for an instant score; the bands appear next to your result.
Reading your result
What your STOP-BANG score actually means
The score sorts you into one of three risk bands. It is a triage signal, not a measurement of how bad your breathing is.
Score 0 to 2: low risk
Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea is unlikely. If you still snore heavily or wake up unrefreshed, the symptoms are worth raising with a clinician anyway. A low score does not explain away real symptoms.
Score 3 to 4: intermediate risk
This is the band most people land in, and the one most often misread. A 3 does not mean you probably have sleep apnea. It means you have crossed the threshold where getting evaluated is worthwhile.
Score 5 to 8: high risk
Substantially elevated probability of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. Worth booking a sleep study rather than waiting to see if it settles. You are also placed in the high-risk group if you answer yes to two or more of the four STOP questions plus any one of: male, BMI above 35, or neck circumference of 16 inches or more.
Why a score of 3 is designed to over-refer
STOP-BANG was built to catch cases, not to rule them in. At a threshold of 3 or more, a pooled meta-analysis of sleep-clinic populations reported sensitivity of roughly 90 percent for any sleep apnea, 94 percent for moderate to severe, and 96 percent for severe. Those are deliberately high. The tradeoff shows up in specificity, which was roughly 49, 34, and 25 percent for the same three thresholds (Nagappa et al., PLOS ONE 2015).
In plain terms: the questionnaire catches most people who have sleep apnea, and it also flags a lot of people who do not. That is the intended behaviour for a screening instrument, because missing a case is worse than sending someone for a test they turn out not to need. It also means a positive screen is a reason to get assessed, not a result to worry about on its own. And because those figures come from sleep-clinic populations who already had reason to be tested, the chance that a positive screen reflects real sleep apnea is lower again for a general audience taking this online.
Low score, bad symptoms: what is going on
This mismatch is common and it does not mean you are imagining things. STOP-BANG weights body habitus and demographics heavily, so a younger, slimmer person with a genuine airway problem can score low. The questionnaire is also aimed at moderate to severe disease, so mild sleep apnea and upper airway resistance syndrome, which can cause real daytime symptoms while the apnea-hypopnea index stays under the diagnostic cut-off, are exactly the cases it is worst at catching. Symptoms outrank the score. Bring them to a clinician.
One night of testing is less definitive than it sounds
If you do get a sleep study and it comes back negative while your symptoms persist, that is a recognised limitation rather than a dead end. A 2026 prospective trial comparing the standard single-night study against repeated at-home monitoring found that one night can misclassify a meaningful share of mild to moderate cases, because severity varies substantially from night to night. Asking about repeat or multi-night monitoring is reasonable.
Important note
Useful for screening, not diagnosis
STOP-BANG is best used to spot risk, especially when snoring and daytime sleepiness show up together. It does not confirm obstructive sleep apnea and it does not replace medical advice or a sleep study.
STOP-BANG score interpretation and FAQs
These are the questions people usually have after they see a STOP-BANG score for the first time.
What does STOP-BANG stand for?
STOP-BANG stands for Snoring, Tiredness, Observed apnea, high blood Pressure, BMI, Age, Neck circumference, and Gender. Each item is worth one point.
What is a high STOP-BANG score?
For general-population screening, 0 to 2 points is low risk, 3 to 4 points is intermediate risk, and 5 to 8 points is high risk for obstructive sleep apnea.
Is the STOP-BANG questionnaire a diagnosis?
No. STOP-BANG is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. A higher score means it is worth talking with a clinician about formal sleep apnea testing.
What should I do if I score 3 or more?
A score of 3 or more suggests meaningful risk. Use the result as a prompt to discuss symptoms, snoring, daytime sleepiness, and testing options with a qualified healthcare professional.
How is STOP-BANG different from the Epworth Sleepiness Scale?
STOP-BANG combines anatomy and symptom questions to screen for sleep apnea risk. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale focuses on daytime sleepiness in common situations.
What is a STOP-BANG score of 3?
A STOP-BANG score of 3 falls in the intermediate-risk band (3 to 4 points) for general-population screening. It is a common threshold where clinicians start discussing further evaluation, especially if snoring or daytime sleepiness is present.
Is this the same as an MDCalc STOP-BANG calculator?
It uses the same eight STOP-BANG items and the same low / intermediate / high risk bands used in common clinical calculators. This free tool also includes a BMI helper so you can complete the B item without a separate calculator.