This application discloses a communication method and apparatus. In embodiments of this application, when a terminal device in a sleep state needs to send a scheduling request or a negative acknowledgement (NACK), the terminal device enters a wake-up state. The terminal device can receive, within a sleep time period, a physical downlink control channel that schedules a resource for the scheduling request or the NACK, without waiting for the sleep time period to end before receiving the physical downlink control channel. Therefore, power consumption of the terminal device is reduced, while it is still ensured that certain physical downlink control channel is received as early as possible, thereby reducing a delay of the physical downlink control channel.