Aim The aim of the present study was to examine the association between sleep complaints and frailty status in a cohort of older adults from rural Mexico, and determine if this association varies according to sex. Methods A cross‐sectional study was carried out on a total of 591 community‐dwelling adults aged ≥70 years in rural settings of Mexico. Sleep complaints were based on self‐reported sleep problems. Frailty status was assessed according to the Fried et al. proposal, as well as general health measurements taken from participants. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association between sleep complaints and frailty. Results Frail participants accounted for 10.7% of the study sample. After adjusting for potential confounders, sleep complaints were associated with increased odds of frailty in women (OR 3.24, 95% CI 1.34–7.84), but not in men (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.23–2.51). Conclusions In this cohort of rural Mexican older adults, sleep complaints were associated with frailty in older women. Because sleep quality is potentially remediable, future frailty prevention interventions should take sleep complaints into account. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; ••: ••–••.