Assess your sleep quality across 8 dimensions. Based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) — the most widely validated sleep assessment tool used in clinical research.
Self-assessment tool only. Persistent poor sleep warrants a GP conversation — it can indicate underlying conditions like sleep apnoea, anxiety or depression. Samaritans: 116 123.
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Answer for the past month overall.
Q1
What time do you usually go to bed?
Q2
How long does it usually take you to fall asleep (in minutes)?
Q3
How many hours of actual sleep do you get per night?
Q4
How often do you wake during the night and can't get back to sleep?
Q5
How would you rate your overall sleep quality?
Q6
How often do you use medication to help you sleep?
Q7
How often do you have trouble staying awake during the day?
Q8
How much of a problem is it for you to maintain enthusiasm for things?
Better sleep starts with the environment. A quality sleep mask blocks light that disrupts melatonin — one of the simplest sleep improvements available.
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a validated self-rated questionnaire assessing sleep quality over the past month. A global score greater than 5 indicates poor sleep quality. This simplified version covers the core PSQI dimensions: sleep latency, duration, efficiency, disturbances, daytime dysfunction and overall quality.
Poor sleep has wide-ranging effects: impaired cognitive performance, mood dysregulation, weakened immune function, increased cardiovascular risk and accelerated weight gain. The good news is that sleep quality is highly responsive to behavioural interventions — Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) has stronger long-term evidence than sleep medication.
Sleep hygiene is the set of behaviours and environmental conditions that support good sleep. Evidence-based practices include: consistent wake time (the most powerful single intervention), limiting caffeine after 2pm, no screens 1 hour before bed (blue light suppresses melatonin), keeping your bedroom cool and dark, and avoiding alcohol within 3 hours of sleep. For chronic insomnia, CBT-I works better than sleep hygiene alone — it restructures dysfunctional thoughts about sleep.
See your GP if: poor sleep has lasted more than 4 weeks, you're excessively tired during the day despite adequate hours in bed, your partner says you snore loudly or stop breathing in your sleep (potential sleep apnoea), you can't stay awake driving or at work, or sleep problems are significantly affecting your mental health. Sleep apnoea in particular is underdiagnosed and treatable — if you snore heavily and feel unrefreshed after sleep, mention it to your GP.
Most adults need 7–9 hours per night. The NHS recommends 7–9 hours as the healthy range. "I'm fine on 5 hours" is usually an adaptation to chronic sleep deprivation rather than a genuine lower need — research shows most people who say this still perform significantly better with more sleep. Consistently less than 6 hours is associated with increased all-cause mortality risk.