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How long can you go without sleep until it's dangerous?

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There is a disease called Fatal Famillial Insomnia and people have been known to stay awake for 6 months when suffering from it before they died of exhaustion.

In other words, unless you are suffering from some illness at the time - you would not cause yourself any damage by staying awake. - by about day 5 (if you even get there) I would guarantee you will not be able to go on. 11 days is the longest anyone has stayed awake by their own will.

Reply 21

Chiko 1001

I did 3 days on 4 hours once. Felt like death mind. No lasting damage, if it gets too much you'll just get too lethargic to move and fall asleep, then wake up fine...

Reply 22

Kaykiie

If I'm tired I'll fall asleep no matter how much I try to stay awake :p:

I have only stayed up for like 30 hours once :s-smilie:

I love sleep too much to want to stay awake :smile:

Reply 23

ChrisBan

If this program comes back up on I-player it is worth a watch. Michael Portillo did an experiment where he was sleep deprived for 2 days:

In another experiment for his new documentary, Portillo is deprived of sleep for two days – kept awake by recordings of a crying baby and then forced to work a stressful shift in a busy kitchen to see if he will lose his temper. "Sleep deprivation over quite a short period of time can make you paranoid," he says. "If it had gone on longer, it would have driven me to violence, I think. I was becoming very edgy and paranoid about the whole experiment and quite aggressive to the people, the programme-makers, who I saw as my tormentors. I felt persecuted."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kk4bz

Reply 24

Woolcott

I've done 79 hours during a particularly rough travelling stint last summer; I was hoiking a 52lb pack around in 30˚ heat between bus/train stations and ferry terminals. I more or less collapsed as soon as I got back home and had a LONG shower.

Reply 25

S_123

Woah I don't think I've gone over 24 hours without sleep :p:

I usually get at least 2/3 hours at minimum and that's on a very, very bad day. I usually get about 5/6/7 hours sleep and about 10 on weekends :p:

I fall asleep on vehicles and in lessons all the time though haha :laugh:

I thought I was going to miss my stop today on the bus because I kept nodding off haha :lol:

Reply 26

AsystoleUK

Hm why did I post this anon, oops. Anyway, about that blocks thing it seems to be true. I felt like death this morning, then I felt fine until the evening. Hit two rockstar orange drinks and I feel like I've slept all day. I am going to crash, and crash hard. Tomorrow.

Reply 27

Whentherobinmakeshisnest

11 days without sleep is fatal

Reply 28

GodspeedGehenna

11 days of true sleep deprivation is the world record (although there are a few sources that have reported 18 days), however people have died with less.

Psychosis will more than likely kick in around day 3-4 though.

Reply 29

Bubblebeard

Yeah there have been studies done. I'm pretty sure two seperate guys stayed awake for like 11 days... By the end one of them was hallucinating, but the other had much less severe symptoms, like... A few problems with short term memory, some irratic mood swings etc. He slept for 15 hours in the end and had no lasting symptoms.

I think it depends on the nature of staying awake. If you're awake stressing over exams / coursework etc you're going to be feeling much worse than if you're staying awake for the hell of it, or just idly playing games.

My record is 3 nights. I was really nervous before a work experience placement and didn't sleep for 2 nights before I started, but then really enjoyed it and was too excited to sleep the next night. But it was manual labour. When I got home that day I slept for about 18 hours.

Reply 30

SpanielMadHouse

It depends what you're going to be doing. You could probably stay awake okay, but if you plan on jumping behind the wheel of a car etc etc that's plain stupid.

Reply 31

moregano

Towards the end of last semester I was getting 3 or 4 hours sleep a night, maybe 5 on a good night. That's not including all the times I fell asleep in lectures though :p:

Before my final crit I got half an hours sleep in 36 hours.

I can't do all nighters, even 20 minutes of sleep is better than nothing.

Reply 32

Broderss

My record is 6 days :cool:

But after a while I developed anxiety and any mildly loud noises would shock me and I'd get a rush going to my head...weird stuff...

I would not advise any longer than 2 nights without sleep.

Reply 33

phen

SpanielMadHouse

It depends what you're going to be doing. You could probably stay awake okay, but if you plan on jumping behind the wheel of a car etc etc that's plain stupid.

I guess a lack of sleep could quite easily kill you in such a situation. :P

Reply 34

Maestro*

ahh i have an exam tomorrow (or today even) at 9AM so I don't see the point in going to bed as I've gone nocturnal! I struggled to wake up at 1AM this morning. Might as well stay up and just get high on tea or something.

Reply 35

Scotland2010

the only thing i would add here is be careful drinkin so much energy drink they are more dangerous than staying up if you drink too much of it

Reply 36

anon1212

Anonymous0155

I was sleeping about 5 hours a day for a week until my physics exam. Then i started getting shooting pains up and down my left arm and started feeling physically sick. Slept like the whole next day and now im fine

I'd go and see a doctor about that

Reply 37

Lewk

ive been up for 35 hours at the moment =) my current record, and counting!

Reply 38

Gez1990

Pretty sure the risk of it damaging you is reset as soon as you get some shut eye. Just don't make a habit of it, your body will hate you for it.
And I think the record is 11 days, but I'm taking that from House so don't take it as gospel :wink:

Reply 39

AshleighBee

I have just finished a project. I had been up 68 hours. (Nearly 3 days) . I have just awoken from my 18 hour recovery sleep.
I would only pull one all-nighter. Anymore than that and you'll have hallucinations etc.
I have a doctors appointment. I have fevers. I have been constantly sweating. I have an awful cough. I have had nose bleeds and blood coming from my mouth. Please, please be careful doing this. I genuinely felt like I was near a death-like state.
Even after 18 hours sleep after that. I still feel horrible. I'm being sick etc. Be careful!