Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of sleep, risk of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and health self-perception of community-dwelling elderly people in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study with a quantitative approach, conducted in November and December 2015, with 61 elderly. Participants were assessed for self-rated health with an instrument. To assess sleep quality, the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index was used. The risk of OSAS was assessed using the Berlin Clinical Questionnaire. Results: Sixty-one elderly individuals with a mean age of 68.6 (7.2) participated in the study, most of them a total of 46 (75.4%) were female, 32 individuals (52.2%) considered their health more or less, in relation to sleep, 11 (34.4%) had a high risk of OSAS and 32 (52.5%) had poor sleep and 9 (14.8%). Conclusion: It was found that more than half of the elderly had a bad sleep or presence of disorders, in less than half of the population was found a high risk of developing OSAS and their health was mostly considered "more or less".