Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), which is commonly underdiagnosed, has a high occurrence in the world population. Health education concerning sleep disorders and OSAS should be implemented.

Objectives: The objective was to identify studies related to preventive actions on sleep disorders, with emphasis on OSAS.

Data Synthesis: A literature review was conducted using Lilacs, Medline, PubMed, and Scopus by combining the following keywords: "Health Promotion," "Sleep Disorders," "Primary Prevention," "Health Education," and "Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndromes." Initially, 1,055 papers, from 1968 to 2013, were located, with the majority from the Scopus database. The inclusion criteria were applied, and four articles published between 2006 and 2012 were included in the present study.

Conclusions: The studies on preventive actions in sleep disorders, with emphasis on OSAS, involved the general population and professionals and students in the health field and led to increased knowledge on sleep disorders and more appropriate practices.