Gina Johnson
Sleep is essential for human physical, mental, and emotional well-being. While it is unclear exactly how long a human can survive without sleep, the longest recorded time anyone has gone without sleep is 264 hours, or just over 11 days. After just one night of no sleep, symptoms like daytime sleepiness, anxiety, and irritability can begin. As the number of sleepless nights increases, so does the severity of the symptoms. After 36 hours without sleep, you may experience increased mood changes, alterations in brain function, and physical symptoms like fatigue. By 48 hours, you may experience symptoms of depersonalization and derealization, or problems with accurately perceiving yourself and reality. After 72 hours without sleep, or three days, a person may begin to slur their speech or walk unsteadily, and hallucinations become increasingly frequent and complex.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Longest recorded time without sleep | 264 hours (approximately 11 days) |
| Effects after 24 hours without sleep | Increased anxiety, impaired decision-making, vision and hearing impairments, decreased hand-eye coordination, increased muscle tension, increased risk of accidents, trouble concentrating, slower reaction times, impaired cognition, memory issues, higher stress levels, increased blood sugar levels |
| Effects after 36 hours without sleep | Decreased motivation, inflexible reasoning, speech impairments, increased sleepiness and fatigue, challenges with perceiving time, reduced concentration, reduced creativity, illusions, visual hallucinations |
| Effects after 48 hours without sleep | Depersonalisation, derealisation, switches between apathy and euphoria, auditory disturbances, feelings of being outside one's body, difficulty forming thoughts and sentences, increased fatigue, difficulty staying awake |
| Effects after 72 hours without sleep | Slurred speech, unsteady walking, complex hallucinations, rapid decline in mental health, symptoms of psychosis, paranoia, anxiety, delusions |
What You'll Learn
After 24 hours without sleep, what are the effects?
After 24 hours without sleep, the effects of sleep deprivation become increasingly evident. Research has shown that staying awake for a full 24 hours has similar effects to having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%, which is above the legal limit to drive in most states.
Some of the effects of going 24 hours without sleep include:
- Impaired decision-making
- Vision and hearing impairments
- Decreased hand-eye coordination
- Increased muscle tension
- Increased risk of accidents or near misses
- Concentration and memory difficulties
- Reduced coordination
- Short-term memory problems
- Raised levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline
- Increased blood sugar levels
These effects occur because the brain attempts to conserve energy by entering a state that doctors refer to as "local sleep." During local sleep, the body temporarily shuts down neurons in some regions of the brain but not others. This can cause people to appear fully awake, but their ability to perform complex tasks declines significantly.
Additionally, sleep deprivation after 24 hours can cause an increase in stress hormones, specifically cortisol and adrenaline, as the brain tries to compensate for fatigue and keep the body functioning. This increase in stress hormones can lead to a higher risk of accidents and impaired judgment, memory, and coordination.
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What happens to the body after 36 hours without sleep?
Sleep is vital for both physical and emotional well-being. Sleep deprivation can lead to many short- and long-term health effects. After 36 hours without sleep, you will likely experience an overwhelming urge to sleep. This is the second stage of sleep deprivation. Along with the effects experienced from 24 hours of sleep deprivation, you may experience increased appetite, extreme fatigue, and microsleeps. Microsleeps are brief periods of sleep that can last up to 30 seconds.
After 36 hours, you may also start to hallucinate. You might also experience mood changes, alterations in brain function, and physical symptoms. Your ability to think creatively will be reduced, and you may experience illusions, such as misidentifying common objects or sounds. You may also experience simple visual hallucinations, such as seeing something that isn't there.
The effects of sleep deprivation become more severe with time. After 48 hours, symptoms of depersonalization and derealization are likely, which are problems with accurately perceiving yourself and reality. After 72 hours, you may experience symptoms similar to acute psychosis, such as complex hallucinations, delusions, and a loss of touch with reality.
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Can humans survive 5 days without sleep?
Sleep is essential for human physical, mental, and emotional health. While it is unclear exactly how long humans can survive without sleep, the longest recorded time anyone has gone without sleep is 264 hours, or just over 11 days. After just one night of no sleep, symptoms like daytime sleepiness, anxiety, and irritability can begin.
24 Hours Without Sleep
After 24 hours without sleep, people may experience trouble concentrating, slower reaction times, and problems with cognition and thinking, such as short-term memory loss and brain fog. Performance at work or school may also decrease, and there may be an increased risk of accidents.
36 Hours Without Sleep
After 36 hours without sleep, people may experience increased mood changes, alterations in brain function, and physical symptoms. They might also begin to hallucinate.
48 Hours Without Sleep
After 48 hours without sleep, people may experience symptoms of depersonalization and derealization, or problems with accurately perceiving themselves and reality. They may also switch between feelings of apathy and euphoria, and have difficulty forming thoughts and sentences.
72 Hours or More Without Sleep
Research has found that staying awake for 72 hours or more can cause symptoms similar to acute psychosis, or a loss of touch with reality. People may experience complex visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusions.
Short-Term vs. Chronic Sleep Loss
Short-term sleep loss can have several consequences, including an increased chance of injuries, accidents, and reckless risk-taking, impaired judgment, and reduced performance at work or school. Chronic sleep deprivation, on the other hand, can have long-term health complications, increasing the risk of high blood pressure and certain cancers.
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What are the short-term effects of sleep deprivation?
Sleep deprivation can have a range of short-term effects on the body and mind, and these effects can be felt after just one night of poor sleep. After 24 hours without sleep, people may experience symptoms such as trouble concentrating, slower reaction times, and problems with short-term memory and cognition. Sleep deprivation can also lead to increased levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, and raised blood sugar levels. People may also experience behavioural issues, become more prone to errors, and struggle with social cues.
After 36 hours without sleep, symptoms tend to worsen. People may experience increased mood changes, alterations in brain function, and physical symptoms such as extreme fatigue. They may also begin to hallucinate, experiencing simple visual hallucinations, such as seeing something growing from the floor.
By 48 hours without sleep, people will struggle to stay awake and may experience microsleep, which is when the brain briefly enters a sleeplike state. During this time, the immune system is also disrupted, with inflammatory markers circulating at increased levels, and natural killer (NK) cell activity decreasing. People may also experience depersonalisation, where they feel like they are outside their body and mind, and have trouble perceiving time.
After 72 hours without sleep, people may begin to slur their speech or walk unsteadily, and hallucinations become more frequent and complex.
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What are the long-term effects of sleep deprivation?
Sleep deprivation can have a number of long-term effects on a person's health and well-being. Here are some of the potential long-term effects of sleep deprivation:
- Increased risk of health conditions: Sleep deprivation has been associated with a higher risk of various health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and Alzheimer's disease.
- Impaired immune system: Not getting enough sleep over time can weaken the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight off infections and illnesses.
- Mental health issues: Sleep deprivation can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. It can also worsen existing mental health conditions.
- Poor academic and social performance in children: Chronic sleep deprivation in children has been linked to poor academic performance, problems getting along with others, and a higher risk of engaging in dangerous and antisocial behaviors.
- Decreased fertility: Sleep deprivation has been associated with lower fertility rates and can negatively impact the ability to conceive.
- Psychiatric disorders: Long-term and extreme sleep deprivation can lead to a range of psychiatric disturbances, including disorientation, paranoia, and hallucinations.
- Altered brain function and memory loss: Sleep is important for brain function and memory consolidation. Sleep deprivation can lead to cognitive impairments, memory loss, and difficulties with problem-solving, decision-making, and emotional regulation.
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Frequently asked questions
It is rare, but humans can survive without sleep for longer than five days. The longest recorded amount of time someone has gone without sleep is 264 hours, which is just over 11 days. However, sleep deprivation can have serious health consequences, and after 72 hours without sleep, most people experience an overwhelming urge to sleep.
After five days without sleep, a person may experience symptoms of acute psychosis, such as complex visual and auditory hallucinations and delusions. They may also have difficulty communicating, problems with memory and concentration, and an increased risk of accidents and injuries.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that adults between the ages of 18 and 60 get at least seven hours of sleep per night. Adults over 65 should get seven to eight hours.
