Do I Have Insomnia? Free Self-Assessment Guide
If you're lying awake most nights or waking up exhausted no matter how long you sleep, you've probably wondered whether you have insomnia. The internet is full of quizzes, but most bear no resemblance to the validated instruments clinicians actually use. This guide explains the real, peer-reviewed self-assessment tools — the ISI, PSQI, and Athens Insomnia Scale — and how to interpret what your scores mean.
TL;DR
Insomnia Disorder requires sleep difficulty at least 3 nights/week for 3+ months with daytime impairment (DSM-5). The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) is the gold-standard 7-question self-report tool (score 0–28): 0–7 = no significant insomnia, 8–14 = subthreshold, 15–21 = moderate clinical insomnia, 22–28 = severe. The ISI cutoff of 10 identifies clinical insomnia with 86.1% sensitivity and 87.7% specificity (Morin et al., Sleep 2011). The PSQI measures overall sleep quality across 7 components; score above 5 indicates poor quality. The Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) offers an ICD-10-aligned alternative. Entertainment quizzes lack validation and are meaningless for clinical decision-making. CBT-I is the AASM first-line treatment; start with a 2-week sleep diary.
What Is Insomnia? The Clinical Definition
Insomnia is not simply "not sleeping enough." The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) defines Insomnia Disorder as a predominant complaint of dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality, involving difficulty initiating sleep, maintaining sleep, or early-morning awakening with inability to return to sleep — and this sleep disturbance must cause clinically significant distress or impairment in daytime functioning.
Frequency and duration matter: under DSM-5, the sleep difficulty must occur at least 3 nights per week and persist for at least 3 months to qualify as chronic insomnia disorder. Less than 3 months is classified as short-term insomnia. The symptoms must occur despite adequate opportunity and circumstances for sleep, and must not be better explained by another sleep disorder, substance use, or medical condition.
The International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition (ICSD-3) from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine uses similar criteria, emphasizing that daytime impairment is a required component of the diagnosis. Sleeping fewer hours but functioning normally during the day does not meet the criteria for clinical insomnia.
The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI): The Most Widely Validated Tool
The ISI (Insomnia Severity Index) is a 7-item self-report questionnaire developed by sleep researcher Charles M. Morin and formally validated in a 2011 study published in the journal Sleep. Each item is rated 0 to 4 on a Likert scale, for a total score of 0 to 28.
The 7 items assess: (1) severity of sleep onset difficulty, (2) sleep maintenance difficulty, (3) early morning awakening problems, (4) satisfaction with current sleep pattern, (5) how much sleep problems interfere with daily functioning, (6) how noticeable the sleep problem is to others, and (7) worry or distress caused by sleep problems.
Score interpretation: 0–7 = no clinically significant insomnia; 8–14 = subthreshold insomnia (mild symptoms present); 15–21 = moderate clinical insomnia; 22–28 = severe clinical insomnia.
In the 2011 validation study, Morin et al. assessed 950 community participants and 95 clinical participants. The ISI showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.90–0.91) and good convergent validity. The optimal cutoff for identifying clinical insomnia was a score of 10, yielding 86.1% sensitivity and 87.7% specificity. The ISI is particularly useful for tracking symptom change before and after treatment.
"An ISI score of 10 or above is the optimal cutoff for identifying clinical insomnia, with 86.1% sensitivity and 87.7% specificity."
Morin CM et al., Sleep, 2011. Validation of the Insomnia Severity Index.
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI): Measuring Overall Sleep Quality
The PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) is a 19-item self-report measure developed by Buysse et al. in 1989 that assesses sleep quality over the past month. It is scored across 7 component subscales, each ranging from 0 to 3, for a global score of 0 to 21.
The 7 components are: (1) subjective sleep quality, (2) sleep latency, (3) sleep duration, (4) habitual sleep efficiency, (5) sleep disturbances, (6) use of sleeping medication, and (7) daytime dysfunction. A global score above 5 is the most widely used cutoff for poor sleep quality.
The PSQI covers a broader range of sleep quality dimensions than the ISI and is less specific to insomnia as a diagnostic entity. The ISI is more sensitive to changes in insomnia symptom severity and treatment response. In research settings, the two instruments are often used together: PSQI for broad screening of sleep problems, ISI for insomnia-specific severity.
Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS): A Validated Alternative
The Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) is an 8-item self-report scale developed by Soldatos et al. and published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research in 2000. It is grounded in ICD-10 diagnostic criteria and measures sleep problems experienced at least 3 times per week over the past month.
The 8 AIS items cover sleep induction, awakenings, early morning awakening, total sleep time, and sleep quality (5 nighttime items), plus 4 daytime function items: well-being, functioning capacity, daytime sleepiness, and dissatisfaction with sleep. Each item is rated 0 to 3, for a total score of 0 to 24. A cutoff of 6 was validated for identifying clinical insomnia. A key strength of the AIS is its direct alignment with ICD-10 criteria, which is why it is particularly common in European clinical and research settings.
How to Interpret Your Scores
Scoring high on a self-assessment tool does not mean you have received a diagnosis. But these scores are meaningful indicators for deciding your next step.
Using the ISI as the reference: 0–7 points means no clinically significant insomnia. Occasional sleep difficulties are universal, and this range requires no action. 8–14 (subthreshold insomnia) means sleep problems are present but do not fully meet clinical criteria. At this level, improving sleep hygiene and starting a sleep diary is recommended.
15–21 (moderate clinical insomnia) suggests that consultation with a physician or sleep specialist is appropriate. CBT-I is the recommended first-line treatment. 22–28 (severe clinical insomnia) warrants prompt professional evaluation. Severe insomnia frequently co-occurs with depression, anxiety disorders, or conditions like sleep apnea that require separate assessment.
An important nuance: these tools measure sleep quality, not just sleep duration. Sleeping 6 hours and functioning well during the day may not indicate a problem. Sleeping 9 hours but always feeling tired and impaired during the day may produce high scores. See our article on why you’re still tired after sleeping for more on this distinction.
What to Do Next: Acting on Your Score
If your self-assessment suggests insomnia, the first clinically recommended action is keeping a sleep diary. Two weeks of daily records — sleep onset time, wake time, nighttime awakenings, daytime function — reveals your insomnia pattern and forms the foundation of CBT-I treatment.
CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) is the first-line treatment recommended by the AASM and the American College of Physicians above sleeping pills for chronic insomnia. A 2025 meta-analysis of 67 trials found CBT-I produces a large effect size (Hedges g = 0.98) for reducing insomnia severity, and these gains persist after treatment ends. See our complete CBT-I guide for how to start.
For mid-range scores (8–14), improving sleep hygiene is the appropriate first intervention. See the sleep hygiene checklist and bedtime routine guide. Sleep hygiene alone rarely resolves chronic insomnia, but it removes obstacles that interfere with CBT-I effectiveness.
If insomnia co-occurs with anxiety, see our article on breaking the sleep anxiety cycle. The anxiety-insomnia feedback loop is a specific pattern addressed within CBT-I.
If your ISI score is 15 or higher, or if your sleep problems have persisted for more than 6 months, seeking evaluation from a healthcare provider is important. Sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome cannot be distinguished from insomnia through self-assessment alone and require separate treatment.
Why "Buzzfeed-Style" Insomnia Quizzes Aren't Reliable
Search "insomnia quiz" and you'll find dozens of results. Most don't actively mislead, but they differ from clinical instruments in fundamental ways.
Validated instruments (ISI, PSQI, AIS) have been tested on thousands of clinical and community participants to statistically verify reliability (whether the same person scores similarly under similar conditions) and validity (whether the tool measures what it claims to measure). This process establishes sensitivity and specificity against clinical diagnoses. The ISI, for example, was validated against structured clinical interviews in specialist sleep clinics.
Internet quizzes, by contrast, are assembled without any such process. The items are arbitrary, the scoring thresholds are invented, and the outputs are not linked to any clinical criteria. Whether these quizzes tell you that you "have insomnia" or "just need better sleep habits" is effectively meaningless.
This distinction is not merely academic because faulty self-assessment causes real harm. People may avoid seeking treatment after being told by an informal quiz that they're fine, or they may spiral into excessive health anxiety over a meaningless result. Using a clinically validated tool means you're at least working with a number that decades of research have confirmed to be meaningful.
If you're experiencing persistent sleep difficulties, consider completing the ISI (7 questions) rather than an entertainment quiz. It takes under 15 minutes and gives you a score that is used as a clinical reference point. Also see our guide on what to do when you can’t sleep tonight.
References
- Morin CM, Belleville G, Bélanger L, Ivers H. “The Insomnia Severity Index: Psychometric Indicators to Detect Insomnia Cases and Evaluate Treatment Response.” Sleep. 2011;34(5):601–608. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/34.5.601
- Buysse DJ, Reynolds CF 3rd, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ. “The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research.” Psychiatry Research. 1989;28(2):193–213. DOI: 10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4
- Soldatos CR, Dikeos DG, Paparrigopoulos TJ. “Athens Insomnia Scale: validation of an instrument based on ICD-10 criteria.” Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2000;48(6):555–560. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-3999(00)00095-7
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Washington DC: APA; 2013. Insomnia Disorder: pp. 362–368.
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine. International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition (ICSD-3). Darien, IL: AASM; 2014.
- Scott AJ, Correa AB, Bisby MA, et al. “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in People With Chronic Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” JAMA Internal Medicine. 2025;185(11):1350–1361. DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.4610
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piliq Sleep Science TeamEvidence-based content grounded in sleep research and clinical data.
piliq tracks your nightly sleep patterns to help you contextualize your ISI self-assessment with real data. Instead of a one-time snapshot, you get ongoing insights and CBT-I guided coaching based on your actual sleep history.