A curated collection of validated sleep questionnaires in Markdown format, intended for research and clinical reference. Each file contains the full instrument, response options, scoring instructions, interpretation thresholds, the original publication reference, and notes on validated translations.
⚖️ Licence notice: This repository is released under CC BY 4.0. However, several instruments included here are under their own copyright (see individual files and the Usage Notes section below). The CC BY licence applies to the formatting, organisation, and editorial content of this repository, not to the questionnaire items themselves.
This repository is under active development. While every effort has been made to reproduce questionnaire items, scoring algorithms, interpretation thresholds, and references accurately, errors may be present. Users are strongly encouraged to:
- ✅ Verify all questionnaire items against the original published sources before use in research or clinical practice
- ✅ Double-check scoring algorithms and cut-off thresholds against the primary validation papers
- ✅ Obtain instruments through official channels where copyright restrictions apply
- ✅ Contact the instrument authors if in doubt about the correct version
The maintainers of this repository accept no responsibility for errors or omissions. This resource is provided for convenience and reference only.
| Acronym | Full Name | Domains | Items | File |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSQI | Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index | Sleep quality, latency, duration, efficiency, disturbances, medication use, daytime dysfunction | 19 | psqi.md |
| ISI | Insomnia Severity Index | Insomnia severity, impact, and distress | 7 | isi.md |
| DBAS-16 | Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale | Sleep-related cognitions and maladaptive beliefs | 16 | dbas.md |
| Acronym | Full Name | Domains | Items | File |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESS | Epworth Sleepiness Scale | Average daytime sleep propensity | 8 | ess.md |
| KSS | Karolinska Sleepiness Scale | Momentary / situational sleepiness | 1 | kss.md |
| Acronym | Full Name | Domains | Items | File |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEQ | Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire | Circadian preference (subjective) | 19 | meq.md |
| MCTQ | Munich Chronotype Questionnaire | Chronotype via sleep timing (objective proxy), social jetlag | 14 | mctq.md |
| Acronym | Full Name | Domains | Items | File |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STOP-BANG | STOP-BANG Questionnaire | Obstructive sleep apnoea risk | 8 | stop-bang.md |
| Acronym | Full Name | Domains | Items | File |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RU-SATED | RU-SATED Sleep Health Scale | Regularity, alertness, satisfaction, timing, efficiency, duration | 7 | ru-sated.md |
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (Buysse et al., 1989) is the most widely used multi-component sleep quality measure. It generates 7 component scores (subjective quality, latency, duration, efficiency, disturbances, medication use, daytime dysfunction) and a global score (0–21). A global score > 5 distinguishes poor from good sleepers.
The Insomnia Severity Index (Morin et al., 2011) is a brief 7-item tool assessing insomnia severity and impact over the past two weeks. Score range 0–28; a score ≥ 10 is the recommended population screening cut-off.
The Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (Morin et al., 2007) is a 16-item cognitive measure used in cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) to identify and track maladaptive sleep-related beliefs. Scored 0–160 (continuous); higher scores reflect more dysfunctional beliefs.
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (Johns, 1991) measures habitual daytime sleep propensity across 8 everyday situations. Scored 0–24; a score ≥ 10 indicates excessive daytime sleepiness.
The Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (Åkerstedt & Gillberg, 1990) is a single-item, 10-point scale for measuring momentary subjective sleepiness. Ideal for repeated within-session or across-day administration in experimental and occupational research.
The Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (Horne & Östberg, 1976) is the classic 19-item chronotype instrument assessing subjective circadian preference. Scores range 16–86 and classify respondents from definite evening-type to definite morning-type.
The Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (Roenneberg et al., 2003) assesses chronotype via actual sleep timing on work and free days. Its primary output, MSFsc (mid-sleep on free days, sleep-corrected), provides an objective proxy of circadian phase. Also computes social jetlag (SJL), the misalignment between biological and social time.
The STOP-BANG Questionnaire (Chung et al., 2008, 2016) is an 8-item dichotomous screening tool for obstructive sleep apnoea. Scores 0–2 = low risk; 3–4 = intermediate; 5–8 = high risk. Widely used in preoperative and population settings.
The RU-SATED Sleep Health Scale (Buysse, 2014) operationalises positive, multidimensional sleep health across seven domains: regularity, alertness on waking, satisfaction, daytime alertness, timing, efficiency, and duration. Scored 0–14; higher scores indicate better overall sleep health.
- ©️ Copyright: Several instruments are under copyright (ESS — Murray W. Johns; STOP-BANG — University Health Network, Toronto; PSQI — University of Pittsburgh). Check the terms of each instrument before commercial or clinical deployment.
- 🌍 Translations: All files include notes on available validated translations. Always cite the language-validation study in addition to the original reference.
- 📝 Administration: Unless otherwise noted, instruments are self-administered. The MCTQ and PSQI include some items that can be completed or verified by a clinician.
- 🔗 Combining instruments: For comprehensive sleep assessment, a common research battery includes the PSQI (quality), ESS or KSS (sleepiness), MEQ or MCTQ (chronotype), ISI (insomnia), and STOP-BANG (OSA screening). RU-SATED can be added for a multidimensional sleep health perspective.
Corrections, new instruments, and translation additions are welcome. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md before opening a pull request.
Åkerstedt, T., & Gillberg, M. (1990). Subjective and objective sleepiness in the active individual. International Journal of Neuroscience, 52(1–2), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.3109/00207459008994241
Bastien, C. H., Vallières, A., & Morin, C. M. (2001). Validation of the Insomnia Severity Index as an outcome measure for insomnia research. Sleep Medicine, 2(4), 297–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1389-9457(00)00065-4
Buysse, D. J. (2014). Sleep health: Can we define it? Does it matter? Sleep, 37(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.3298
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. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4
Chung, F., Abdullah, H. R., & Liao, P. (2016). STOP-Bang questionnaire: A practical approach to screen for obstructive sleep apnea. Chest, 149(3), 631–638. https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.15-0903
Chung, F., Yegneswaran, B., Liao, P., Chung, S. A., Vairavanathan, S., Islam, S., … Shapiro, C. M. (2008). STOP questionnaire: A tool to screen patients for obstructive sleep apnea. Anesthesiology, 108(5), 812–821. https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0b013e31816d83e4
Horne, J. A., & Östberg, O. (1976). A self-assessment questionnaire to determine morningness-eveningness in human circadian rhythms. International Journal of Chronobiology, 4(2), 97–110.
Johns, M. W. (1991). A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: The Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep, 14(6), 540–545. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/14.6.540
Juda, M., Vetter, C., & Roenneberg, T. (2013). The Munich ChronoType Questionnaire for shift-workers (MCTQShift). Journal of Biological Rhythms, 28(2), 130–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748730412475041
Kaida, K., Takahashi, M., Åkerstedt, T., Nakata, A., Otsuka, Y., Haratani, T., & Fukasawa, K. (2006). Validation of the Karolinska sleepiness scale against performance and EEG variables. Clinical Neurophysiology, 117(7), 1574–1581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2006.03.011
Morin, C. M., Belleville, G., Bélanger, L., & Ivers, H. (2011). The Insomnia Severity Index: Psychometric indicators to detect insomnia cases and evaluate treatment response. Sleep, 34(5), 601–608. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/34.5.601
Morin, C. M., Vallières, A., & Ivers, H. (2007). Dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep (DBAS): Validation of a brief version (DBAS-16). Sleep, 30(11), 1547–1554. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/30.11.1547
Roenneberg, T., Kuehnle, T., Juda, M., Kantermann, T., Allebrandt, K., Gordijn, M., & Merrow, M. (2007). Epidemiology of the human circadian clock. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 11(6), 429–438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2007.07.005
Roenneberg, T., Wirz-Justice, A., & Merrow, M. (2003). Life between clocks: Daily temporal patterns of human chronotypes. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 18(1), 80–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748730402239679