Hypersomnia is a frequently occurring problem. When taking a medical history it is important to distinguish between fatigue and sleepiness. We present a 14-year-old girl with narcolepsy and a 59-year-old man with idiopathic hypersomnia. Features that are typical of narcolepsy are cataplexy and weight gain. Features that are typical of both narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia are daytime naps, insomnia, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations. Additional testing in patients with hypersomnia should include a polysomnography in order to exclude other sleeping disorders, and a mean sleep latency test. Practice shows that both patients with narcolepsy and those with idiopathic hypersomnia benefit from treatment with stimulating drugs such as modafinil.