Objective The aim of this study was to assess the association of sleep duration with health status or health related quality of life (HRQL), according to gender, in non-institutionalised elderly population living in Campinas (Brazil).

Methods It is a population-based cross-sectional study developed using data from the Campinas Health Survey carried out in 2008/2009. The SF-36 v2 health survey was used to assess the HRQL of 1520 elderly individuals. The eight scales of SF-36 and the physical and mental component summary measures were the dependent variables and the principal independent was sleep duration. Simple and multiple linear regression models were used to verify the association among the variables.

Results The sleep duration of 5 or fewer hours was associated with poor health status only in the female population, in the mental component of HRQL. Sleeping 10 h or more was associated with the eight SF-36 scales and two components, in the elderly male population. In the female, only the physical function, role physical, mental health dimensions were associated with this sleep duration.

Conclusion HRQL was associated only with the long sleep in the elderly men. In women, both the short and long sleep was associated negatively with the health status, in different dimensions. Considering that health self-assessment has a significant relationship with clinical status and mortality, research on health related quality of life and sleep duration become important, and this study is among the first to present this relationship.