title: Measurements of sleepiness and fatigue.
abstract: Sleepiness and fatigue are terms commonly used in clinical practice and research. At times sleepiness and fatigue are used interchangeably; however, each of them has distinct implications for diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this article is to review the psychometric properties of the measurements of sleepiness and fatigue. Although there are objective and subject measures to evaluate sleepiness, only rating scales are available to assess fatigue. Further research should be directed toward exploring the potential mechanisms underlying the measurements of sleepiness and fatigue. Establishing objective assessing instruments to evaluate fatigue and clarifying the relationship between objective and subjective assessments of sleepiness are crucially needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. azmeh.shahid@uhn.on.ca
authors.forename: Azmeh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shahid
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Colin M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Shapiro
mesh_terms: D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires