Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index

What it measures

The most widely used self-report measure of sleep quality in clinical research. Covers seven components of sleep over the past month. A global PSQI score >5 differentiates poor from good sleepers with good sensitivity and specificity.

Response format

Self-rated items scored 0–3; 7 component scores (0–3 each); global score 0–21

Representative items

• During the past month, when have you usually gone to bed at night?
• During the past month, how long (in minutes) has it usually taken you to fall asleep each night?
• During the past month, how often have you had trouble sleeping because you cannot get to sleep within 30 minutes?
• During the past month, how often have you had trouble sleeping because you wake up in the middle of the night or early morning?
• During the past month, how would you rate your sleep quality overall?

Usage notes & scoring

Global score >5 = poor sleeper. Widely used in clinical trials as a sleep outcome measure. Includes scoring for sleep efficiency (time asleep / time in bed x 100). Freely available from Daniel Buysse. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) is a complementary brief measure.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Buysse, D.J., Reynolds, C.F., Monk, T.H., Berman, S.R., & Kupfer, D.J. (1989). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: A new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Research, 28(2), 193–213.

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