Rolandic and occipital benign epilepsies of childhood are strictly linked to sleep but often no specific alterations of sleep organization were found. The spike activation is mostly evident in the first sleep cycle and related to EEG sigma band. NREM 1 and 2 sleep facilitate the spreading of epileptic discharges of benign childhood epilepsies while in NREM 3-4 sleep the spreading capacity is reduced. REM sleep inhibits both phenomena. Cyclic alternating pattern (CAP) modulates epileptiform discharges and seizures in lesional epilepsies, but shows no effect in the benign childhood epilepsies. Specific alterations of CAP structure (reduction of CAP rate and A1 phases in NREM 2) may shed light on the pathophysiology of cognitive disturbances of these children. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.