Sleep Deprivation and death

furbey

Whats the longest somebody could possibly go without sleep and NOT drop dead???

Just wondering because i'm reaching my 72 hour limit, last time i went a bit over that, collapsed. pretty funny really so anyway, any doctors out there that know the limit to sleeplessness?

Deki

"Randy Gardner holds a Guinness world record for the longest period of time a human being has intentionally gone without sleep not using stimulants of any kind. In 1964, as a 17-year-old high school student in San Diego, California, Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours (11 days) with the help of friends, TV reporters, and shooting hoops. On his final day without sleep, Gardner presided over a press conference where he spoke without slurring or stumbling his words and in general appeared to be in excellent health. “I wanted to prove that bad things didn’t happen if you went without sleep,” said Gardner. “I thought, ‘I can break that (Peter Tripp’s 1959) record and I don’t think it would be a negative experience.’” Sleep experts now believe that such sleep deprivation stunts are dangerous"
http://sleepzine.com/sleep-news/randy-gardner-hold-the-world-record-for-not-sleeping-for-264-hours/

eamon234

Lack of sleep can kill you after a certain period albeit a long one. There was a documentary recently following a group of people suffering from a rare disorder preventing them from sleeping. One of them actually died while it was being made.

Reeni

I'd be interested in seeing that docu, would you happen to know the name?

I'm an insomniac and man does having feck all sleep have an impact on my health. Also makes me an irritable b*tch!

reallyrose

11 days, wow.

I couldn't sleep for 4 days once, I started hallucinating and then pretty much fell over.

Doctor DooM

I can't manage more than 24 hours at this point...

HxGH

4 days is my record. Still alive.

cyberwolf77

Doctor DooM wrote: »

I can't manage more than 24 hours at this point...

24 is pushing it for me as well. I swear the older you get......

angelxx

I think the longest I went without sleep was 48 hours and I was shattered.

WalterMitty

Its almost impossible for a healthy person to die from lack of sleep, although they are more likely to have accidents and the like. Even when someone thinks they havent slept at all testign usually shows that have brief micro sleeps of a half minute or less(even fraction of a second).

The cases reffered to above are caused bt fatal famlial insomnia, a horrible genetic disorder .

KyussBishop

A day and a half was probably the most I've managed.
Thankfully there've not been many occasions when I've had to force myself to stay awake a long time; usually if I try to, I don't manage, just turn into a zombie after a very short while.

I went for 48 hours on a journey to Switzerland once. It was grand because I was travelling with a group, and it was a bit of craic. I can't imagine doing it on my own.

Nuggles

I did three (four-ish) days.Was ill and in constant pain, decided to wait it out til the doctor was around on the monday. Worst weekend ever. Started hallucinating. Wasn't fun.

didntgotoplan

Around 48-60 hours would be the longest for me, but I did have a week during exams one college year when I would only sleep like 3 hours each night due to worry and no studying done. Luckily that stopped the year after as I couldn't care less after that.

Diabhal_Glas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_deprivation

Theres some info about the longest period without sleep in here

bdr529

try working night shifts, then you'll find out what sleep deprivation is all about....
managed to get about 10hrs sleep over 4 days last week. after 10yrs of night shifts wife still doesn't understand that washing machines, hoovers and shouting at kids has a habit of waking a dude up.

cyberwolf77

bdr529 wrote: »

try working night shifts, then you'll find out what sleep deprivation is all about....
managed to get about 10hrs sleep over 4 days last week. after 10yrs of night shifts wife still doesn't understand that washing machines, hoovers and shouting at kids has a habit of waking a dude up.

Exactly, then there's the feckers outside who think nothing of banging on your front door to deliver a package for a neighbor or fire up the old riding mower to cut a postage stamp of a lawn.

bdr529

bastards, Ted! Bastards!

cyberwolf77

I just hate people who work day shifts and know I work nights thinking nothing of calling right as I getting to sleep. Then they act like it's not so bad i have to out off my sleep for their silly questions. yeah, let me call them just as they off to bed before work in the morning.

bdr529

another pain in the scrot is after the last shift...a few hours kip to try and kick back into daytime living...nobody can understand why you're a grumpy bastard! you are supposed to be happy and chirpy because you got a nice lie in till lunchtime....they don't realise that lunchtime is the same as getting up at 3am...

cyberwolf77

Exactly people have this astonishing difficulty with understanding that my whole sleep cycle is flipped from theirs is.

CiaranMT

eamon234 wrote: »

Lack of sleep can kill you after a certain period albeit a long one. There was a documentary recently following a group of people suffering from a rare disorder preventing them from sleeping. One of them actually died while it was being made.

Fatal Familial Insomnia I'm guessing. A very sad disease to have, and as far as I know, incurable.

eilo1

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781276/?tool=pmcentrez

eilo1

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781276/?tool=pmcentrez

SO sad!

Izzy711

bdr529 and cyberwolf I totally feel your pain! My husband will wake me up at 1300 to iron his work clothes. It makes me soooo mad! I get to sleep around 0700 and I HATE being woken up.

I have friends who call me during the day also. It drives me insane. I have a habit of yelling at people who piss me off in my sleep though. Needless to say, they now text me during the day, haha.

Luckily, I can't hear much in my bedroom. It is like a tomb so it is fitting for a "vampire" like myself.

bdr529

Izzy, 7.00-13.00 is 6 hours kip whats the problem get up and iron the poor mans clothes for jays' sake, he he he ....only joking but seriously, why haven't you hit him with the iron?

on one occasion, I had been up since 8am the day before because wife works and had to look after kids, went straight into a night shift and got into bed about 8am that morning. about 10am was woken by the sound of the other half shouting at the daughter in her bedroom and then kept awake by the child bawling her eyes out, had to get up to calm her down.
about an hour later was woken by more shouting and crying downstairs, had to get back up to calm child and issue a make noise and die warning. about an hour after that, wife started hoovering......I got dressed, jumped in the car and went down to dollymount beach and had a sleep in the car. came back to 'huh!its well for you to be able to swan off for the afternoon'.
honestly, some people don't have a clue ..

Izzy711

bdr529 wrote: »

Izzy, 7.00-13.00 is 6 hours kip whats the problem get up and iron the poor mans clothes for jays' sake, he he he ....only joking but seriously, why haven't you hit him with the iron?

on one occasion, I had been up since 8am the day before because wife works and had to look after kids, went straight into a night shift and got into bed about 8am that morning. about 10am was woken by the sound of the other half shouting at the daughter in her bedroom and then kept awake by the child bawling her eyes out, had to get up to calm her down.
about an hour later was woken by more shouting and crying downstairs, had to get back up to calm child and issue a make noise and die warning. about an hour after that, wife started hoovering......I got dressed, jumped in the car and went down to dollymount beach and had a sleep in the car. came back to 'huh!its well for you to be able to swan off for the afternoon'.
honestly, some people don't have a clue ..

I haven't hit him with the iron yet, because I appreciate the fact that he has a job. Even though he drives me insane and thinks he is the only one that works sometimes. If I really lay down the law (with tears) he will let me be and not bother me.

We don't have kiddos yet, but that makes me nervous. I will not get ANY sleep once that happens. We have a 5 pound Teacup Yorkie. He used to not let him out before he left for work and Jasper would wake me up to let him outside. After much biitching he lets him out now before he goes .

If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

I used to sleep in my car when I lived with my parents while B was deployed. That lasted all of 47 days. I quickly found my own apartment. Saving the extra money was not worth my sleep!

cyberwolf77

Izzy711 wrote: »

bdr529 and cyberwolf I totally feel your pain! My husband will wake me up at 1300 to iron his work clothes. It makes me soooo mad! I get to sleep around 0700 and I HATE being woken up.

I have friends who call me during the day also. It drives me insane. I have a habit of yelling at people who piss me off in my sleep though. Needless to say, they now text me during the day, haha.

Luckily, I can't hear much in my bedroom. It is like a tomb so it is fitting for a "vampire" like myself.

Ah, you use blackout curtains over the windows as well. I don't know how I ever got by without mine.

Izzy711

cyberwolf77 wrote: »

Ah, you use blackout curtains over the windows as well. I don't know how I ever got by without mine.

Actually, I am cheap. I have tin foil taped to my windows.

cyberwolf77

Izzy711 wrote: »

Actually, I am cheap. I have tin foil taped to my windows.

I use an old bedspread and duct tape. Works quite well though.

Izzy711

cyberwolf77 wrote: »

I use an old bedspread and duct tape. Works quite well though.

A man after my cheap arse heart! Haha.

cyberwolf77

Well, it owrks and also helps keep the room at a constant temperature as well.

harvester of sorrow

hi guys n gals,i was just wondering do night shifts get easier the longer you do them or are they just a constant pain in the ass?
I only started working nights about 2 years ago and i cant seem to get the hang of em...

cyberwolf77

harvester of sorrow wrote: »

hi guys n gals,i was just wondering do night shifts get easier the longer you do them or are they just a constant pain in the ass?
I only started working nights about 2 years ago and i cant seem to get the hang of em...

Well, they've gotten a bit easier for me. My mother however worked them for thirteen years and hated it.

Saila

stayed up all day/night, then got a longhaul flight, then 10hrs+ in a transition lounge, then another long haul flight, then up all day when I arrived there [morning]:rolleyes:
I was hallucinating that night, it was really horrible experience - 70hrs all in :mad:

I think the limit is around 7 days

Izzy711

harvester of sorrow wrote: »

hi guys n gals,i was just wondering do night shifts get easier the longer you do them or are they just a constant pain in the ass?
I only started working nights about 2 years ago and i cant seem to get the hang of em...

I have worked nights going on 6 years now. I couldn't imagine working another shift. I really do believe it depends on the person. Yes, I am tired most of the time, but I have found that when I work out I feel much better. I just really hate losing the sleep to work out. Catch 22 I guess.

Good luck! What do you do?

Doctor DooM

My job used to have alot of shifts. But it wasn't regular and that made very difficult.

For the last while I have been doing day shift and it's settled me down a bit. I hope I can be more disciplined about my sleeping patterns even if I do have to go back.

harvester of sorrow

Izzy711 wrote: »

I have worked nights going on 6 years now. I couldn't imagine working another shift. I really do believe it depends on the person. Yes, I am tired most of the time, but I have found that when I work out I feel much better. I just really hate losing the sleep to work out. Catch 22 I guess.

Good luck! What do you do?

Im a Process Plant Op.Often thought about working out before a night shift but cant haul myself to do it......does it really help?

cyberwolf77

harvester of sorrow wrote: »

Im a Process Plant Op.Often thought about working out before a night shift but cant haul myself to do it......does it really help?

My secret is a massive dose of B vitamins right before the shift. Helps you stay awake and you sleep like the dead afterwards

GSV

I worked night shifts for a good while some years ago.
The problem is you can get used to it and then it's hard to swing back around to day shifts.

One time I worked a night shift 10pm - 8am.
Stayed up all day and then worked another night shift.
I didn't get to bed that day till 4pm so I would have had only 4 or 5 hours sleep before my next (3rd) shift.

I woke up at 6 O'clock and I felt really well rested which I thought was kind of odd.
Then I realised that it was getting brighter out when it should have been getting darker!

I'd slept for for 14 hours and it was 6 O'clock in the morning.

cyberwolf77

GSV wrote: »

I worked night shifts for a good while some years ago.
The problem is you can get used to it and then it's hard to swing back around to day shifts.

One time I worked a night shift 10pm - 8am.
Stayed up all day and then worked another night shift.
I didn't get to bed that day till 4pm so I would have had only 4 or 5 hours sleep before my next (3rd) shift.

I woke up at 6 O'clock and I felt really well rested which I thought was kind of odd.
Then I realised that it was getting brighter out when it should have been getting darker!

I'd slept for for 14 hours and it was 6 O'clock in the morning.

That is why I use military time on every clock I own.

Nevyn

Someone stole my sleep, when I find out who it was I will suffocate them.

The Master

I'm awake around 20hrs or so myself now, heading out soon for a few hours then hopefully some sleep