We analysed the similarities between theory of The Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor （《黄帝内经》） and modern sleep medicine on sleep and wakefulness， and initially constructed the "eye-brain" sleep regulation system. The similarities between the sleep theories in The Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor and modern sleep medicine research are described from three perspectives： the anatomical basis of sleep physiology， the pathogenesis of sleep disorder pathology， and the mechanism of sleep disorder treatment. It is found that the regulation of sleep and wakefulness in both medicine theories is based on the "eye" and "brain" as the main control centres， and there exists a "eye-brain" pathway to regulate sleep and wakefulness in the human body. Based on this， the "eye-brain" sleep regulation theory is constructed， in order to find an effective way to solve the pathogenesis and treatment strategy of sleep disorders.