Episodic sleep disorder is defined as uncontrollable episodes of transient sleep during the day, often accompanied by sudden collapse episodes, sleep paralysis and pre-sleep hallucinations. The disease was first named and reported by Gelineau in 1880 and its etiology is related to genetic and environmental factors. Episodic sleeping sickness is a relatively common disorder, with a reported incidence of about 0.03%-0.16%. It can develop from childhood to old age, but is common in adolescence and early adulthood. The first symptom of episodic sleep disorder is excessive daytime sleepiness. Patients present with sudden, unpredictable, excessive sleepiness and irresistible sleep episodes, often in inappropriate situations, especially when reading, watching television, riding a bicycle, listening to a lecture, attending a meeting or exam, or even when eating, walking, or initiating a conversation. Sleep can be as short as a microsleep of less than a few seconds or as long as several hours. Sudden onset of sleep can occur simultaneously with the onset of hypersomnia or after a delay of several years. 65-70% of patients with episodic sleep disorder experience sudden onset of sleep, which is often triggered by strong emotional stimuli (e.g., crying, laughing, anger, fear, etc.), sudden loss of trunk tone bilaterally, or in severe cases, a sudden fall or forced sitting, or in more common cases, head droop, facial laxity, slurred speech, and sometimes just sudden trunk tone. The more common forms of weakness are head droop, facial laxity, slurred speech, and sometimes just a sudden weakness of the trunk. Sleep paralysis is a transient generalized inability to move or speak when the patient wakes up from sleep, but breathing and eye movements are not affected and can last from a few seconds to several minutes. Pre-sleep hallucinations and sleep paralysis often occur together, and these hallucinations are extremely unpleasant sensory experiences. As time passes, episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness may persist throughout life, and the number of episodes of sudden collapse, pre-sleep hallucinations, and sleep paralysis may gradually decrease. Polysomnography and multiple daytime napping tests are strong indicators for the diagnosis of episodic sleep disorders. Daytime avoidance to sleep chart commonly shortens the sleep latency, usually less than 10 minutes. At night, in addition to shortened sleep latency, there is also a REM cycle at the onset of sleep (REM sleep begins within 20 minutes of falling asleep). The normal sleep architecture is disrupted and the number of awakenings increases. Daytime EEG examination reveals diffuse a-wave activity during eye opening, called paradoxical a-response. Patients with episodic sleeping sickness often present with automatic behavior and amnesia, which can easily be misdiagnosed as complex partial epilepsy. Loss-of-tension seizures are easily confused with sudden collapse seizures. However, seizures do not present as irresistible sleep attacks. Video EEG can detect clinical seizure events and simultaneous recording of seizure-phase EEG can be a good way to identify the two. Patients with seizure sleeping disorder need to arrange their work and rest schedule rationally, emphasizing regular work and rest, and try to ensure that they get sufficient sleep at night. If possible, time can be arranged for regular napping to help patients maintain a more satisfactory waking state. Due to the special clinical symptoms of episodic sleep disorder, most patients have problems with interpersonal, family and work relationships, which seriously affect the quality of life and may lead to psychological disorders. Appropriate psychological support and understanding and help from family members, colleagues and leaders can enhance their confidence in treatment and relieve depressive symptoms. Medication can be chosen from central nervous stimulants, such as amphetamine, methylphenidate hydrochloride, modafinil, with few side effects.