Introduction. Alterations in the quality and duration of sleep are risk factors for the development of arterial hypertension in Eastern countries. However, in Latin America there are few studies researching this association. Objective. To analyze the association between the quality and duration of sleep and the rate of arterial hypertension in a Colombian population. Materials and methods. An observational, longitudinal, prospective and analytical study nested in the INEFAC population-based cohort, was conducted with participants over 18 years of age from Bucaramanga (Colombia). Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Sleep duration was assessed using standardized questions. Multivariate analysis was performed with logistic regression models adjusted for possible confounding variables. Results. A total of 1,306 non-hypertensive participants with a mean age of 40 ± 12 years were included. In this population, 92.8% had one or more sleep issues. 45.15% slept 6 hours or less and 28.6% slept 8 hours or more. Multivariate analysis showed a higher risk of hypertension in participants with diabetes (OR = 5.27; 95% CI: 2.27-12.26), obesity (OR = 2.81; 95% CI: 1.11-7.13), active smoking (OR = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.01-4.04) and higher socioeconomic level (OR = 4.94; 95% CI: 1.59-15.38 for level 4), but no higher risk was found in participants with poor sleep quality or short sleep duration. Conclusions. No association was found between the duration or quality of sleep and the rate of arterial hypertension in the Colombian population. More studies are required in this population to reach definitive conclusions.