Objective: the aim of this study was to investigate possible associations between Burnout, use of hypnotics and sleep quality among medical students. Method: a cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among medical students of a university center of northeastern Brazil, with the problem-based learning (PBL) methodology. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and a sociodemographic questionnaire were applied among pre-clerkship students of the course. Results: the study included 523 students and found 48 (9.2%) with tridimensional diagnosis criteria for Burnout syndrome (BS). Poor sleep quality and use of hypnotic drugs for sleep were associated with BS (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively). There were no statistical differences in age, gender, religion, marital status, student financing and performing paid work, between individuals with and without BS. Conclusion: there was an association between BS, use of hypnotics and poor sleep quality among pre-clerkship medical students.