How long can a person physically stay awake...

[dave1251]

I went 120+ hours a few times without sleep. Only coffee, energy drinks, and cigarettes to keep me going. The SEAL comms chief was impressed. The bad thing for me is around the 80 hour mark my mind is on autopilot and around 100 hours I start to hear voices of loved ones. Not a experience I want to repeat.

 

[malibuguy79]

Ive gone 2 days before a few times. There days approaching a 12hour work day I start getting loopy and get angry at inanimate objects like walls

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
I've heard the U.S. military gave pills to service members in Iraq at times so they could stay awake for 40 hours.


Never had them. I remember consuming enough Red Bull for a couple of days everything which exited was a florescent green.

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

Back in middle school, I did 3.5 days straight. Thanks to Mountain Dew, Xbox and Battlefield 3. After that though I slept 18 hours. Great times.

 

[Dyusik]

 

[Chris142]

When we had the fires here a couple years ago I stayed up 48 hrs. Plus I was at work on time.

 

[Number_35]

There was a library book I read c. 1982 which argued that sleep was an evolutionary hangover, its only purpose being to keep us still and quiet at night when the predators were stalking about and we couldn't see them. Furthermore, the author said that we could train ourselves to go without sleep indefinitely.

I remain skeptical. I see it's after 10:30 - good night everyone.

 

[Nyogtha]

Dolphins supposedly have very interesting sleep. They shut down one hemisphere of their brains, alternating hemispheres, as they still have to surface to breathe.

Most sharks have to constantly swim in order to get flow of oxygenated water over their gills. There's a set of underwater caves / caverns off Isla Mujeres, Mexico discovered by Jaques Cousteau where sharks could lay down and sleep with the current supplying a constant flow of oxygenated water across their gills.

 

[PumpPusher]

Longest I went w/o 42 hours w/ 0 sleep. During oilfield boom, I worked two jobs for about 3 years with 2-4 hours of sleep a day. 20 to 30 hour days w/ short naps were very common. Considering doing it again.

 

[Nick1994]

Longest I've been awake was 40 hours. I drove straight to Montana from Phoenix and never fell asleep when I arrived at 4am, stayed up the whole next day.

 

[Cujet]

The best I've been able to do, when younger, while working my aviation job competently, is about 35 hours.

About 3 or 4 times per year, I end up working all day, all night and all the next day. However by the middle of the second day, I'm really tired and I start to nod off when ever I relax.

 

[judsonj]

I saw a show on the History Channel that said the Nazis used to give everyone crystal meth and the allies used benzadrine. Supposedly Elvis got his first taste of drugs in the army when he was given bennies to stay awake during an exercise in Germany.

I often ask myself if I can stay awake during staff meeting at work!

 

[zorobabel]

Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
How long can a person physically stay awake on drugs? I've read of meth heads going seven days without sleep.

For as long as said person is being tortured.

 

[beanoil]

Longest I've ever done was 36 hours. By that point I was on autopilot, and didn't give a hoot about whatever happened.
A major shift in personality for me, because I usually (at least) give a darn about my fellow beings, be it animal, human, or the more common human acting like an animal.

 

[CincyDavid]

Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Define "sleep".

I've got some weird issue where my brain goes straight into REM sleep so I haven't gotten any RESTFUL sleep in.. years. Every night is just a bunch of vibrant and bizarre dreams.



Welcome to my world. I used to hit the sack and be out within 30 seconds, and woke up well-rested. I have some strange, vivid dreams, vivid enough that I remember them during the day, they don't fade out as I wake up, like dreams used to.

Between that and joint pain that wakes me up, my fitbit read-out pertaining to sleep is almost comical. It's a wonder I function at all.

 

[Broo]

I never tried going over 20, and that was a long time ago. Nowadays, I don't think I could even reach 20.

 

[javacontour]

Longest I did it was 72 hours as a 17-18 year old. Some church retreat event that me and some other similarly bright (spelled stupid, testosterone poisoned) teens tried to stay up for the entire 3 day weekend event.

I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

In the last 6 months I've been staying awake for 24-30 hours very often (3 times a month at least) due to 12hr swing shift work schedule. Longest would have to be 58hrs and I could barely finish the drive from Florida. Never again. But 24-30 hours awake is my norm currently.