Catalog/PSQI
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PSQI

Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a 17-item sleep assessment for adults. It typically takes about 8 minutes to complete, where higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.

Items

17

Time to complete

8 min

Population

adult

Score range

v1.0

About the PSQI

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a 17-item sleep assessment for adults. It typically takes about 8 minutes to complete, where higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.

First published in 1989 by Buysse DJ, Reynolds CF, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ, the PSQI is free to use for clinical and research purposes with attribution. With Psyche Assess you can send the PSQI to clients online, score it automatically, and generate a clinician-ready report in seconds.

What it measures

sleep_latencysleep_disturbance

PSQI questions

  1. 1

    During the past month, how long has it usually taken you to fall asleep each night?

    ≤ 15 minutes · 16 – 30 minutes · 31 – 60 minutes · > 60 minutes
  2. 2

    During the past month, on average, how many hours were you in bed each night (lights-off to wake-up)?

    > 8 hours · 7 – 8 hours · 6 – 7 hours · < 6 hours
  3. 3

    During the past month, how many hours of actual sleep did you get at night?

    > 7 hours · 6 – 7 hours · 5 – 6 hours · < 5 hours
  4. 4

    During the past month, how often have you had trouble sleeping because you cannot get to sleep within 30 minutes?

    sleep_latencyNot during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  5. 5

    …wake up in the middle of the night or early morning?

    sleep_disturbanceNot during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  6. 6

    …have to get up to use the bathroom?

    sleep_disturbanceNot during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  7. 7

    …cannot breathe comfortably?

    sleep_disturbanceNot during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  8. 8

    …cough or snore loudly?

    sleep_disturbanceNot during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  9. 9

    …feel too cold?

    sleep_disturbanceNot during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  10. 10

    …feel too hot?

    sleep_disturbanceNot during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  11. 11

    …had bad dreams?

    sleep_disturbanceNot during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  12. 12

    …had pain?

    sleep_disturbanceNot during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  13. 13

    …other reason(s) — please describe in a clinical interview.

    sleep_disturbanceNot during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  14. 14

    During the past month, how often have you taken medicine (prescribed or over the counter) to help you sleep?

    Not during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  15. 15

    During the past month, how often have you had trouble staying awake while driving, eating meals, or engaging in social activity?

    Not during the past month · Less than once a week · Once or twice a week · Three or more times a week
  16. 16

    During the past month, how much of a problem has it been for you to keep up enthusiasm to get things done?

    No problem at all · Only a very slight problem · Somewhat of a problem · A very big problem
  17. 17

    During the past month, how would you rate your sleep quality overall?

    Very good · Fairly good · Fairly bad · Very bad

Items reproduced from a documented, freely usable source. Item wording is preserved exactly as published.

Scoring & interpretation

RangeBandInterpretation
05Good sleep qualityGlobal PSQI ≤5 — no clinically significant sleep complaint.
621Poor sleep qualityGlobal PSQI >5 — clinically significant sleep difficulty; consider further assessment / sleep-hygiene or insomnia intervention.

Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.

sleep_quality subscale

RangeBand
03Component score

sleep_latency subscale

RangeBand
03Component score

sleep_duration subscale

RangeBand
03Component score

sleep_efficiency subscale

RangeBand
03Component score

sleep_disturbance subscale

RangeBand
03Component score

sleep_medication subscale

RangeBand
03Component score

daytime_dysfunction subscale

RangeBand
03Component score

Frequently asked questions

How many items does the PSQI have?

The PSQI has 17 items and takes about 8 minutes to complete.

How is the PSQI scored?

The PSQI uses a structured scoring procedure where higher scores indicate greater severity.

Is the PSQI free to use?

The PSQI is free to use for clinical and research purposes provided the authors are credited and the item wording is not altered.

Who is the PSQI for?

The PSQI is designed for adult and is used by clinicians, researchers, and integrated-care teams.

Source & references

AuthorsBuysse DJ, Reynolds CF, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ
First published1989
CitationBuysse DJ, Reynolds CF, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Res. 1989;28(2):193-213.
PubMed2748771
LicenseOpen license
Source obtained from https://www.sleep.pitt.edu on 2026-05-16. Every instrument in our catalog has a documented, legitimate source — never scraped from another platform.

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