Evie Summers
Sleep is essential for both physical and emotional well-being. While the amount of sleep a person needs varies, the CDC recommends that adults get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation can have serious short- and long-term health effects, including increased risk of accidents, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. While it is unclear how long a person can survive without sleep, the current world record is 264-266 hours (11 days). After just 24 hours without sleep, individuals may experience anxiety, irritability, and daytime sleepiness, and symptoms worsen the longer a person goes without sleep.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Longest anyone has gone without sleep | 264 hours (11 days) |
| Effects of sleep deprivation | Increased appetite, desire for weight-gain foods, impaired memory, anxiety, irritability, daytime sleepiness, hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, impaired vision, slurred speech, impaired judgment, tremors, muscle tension, increased stress hormones, poor balance, weakened immune system, impaired glucose tolerance, etc. |
| Recommended sleep for adults | 7-9 hours |
| Children aged 6-12 | 9-12 hours |
| Teenagers | 8-10 hours |
| Recovery time from sleep deprivation | 2 days for 1 day of sleep loss |
| Fatal sleep disorders | Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) |
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What You'll Learn
Sleep deprivation symptoms
Sleep is essential for both physical and emotional well-being. While it is unclear exactly how long a person can survive without sleep, severe sleep deprivation symptoms can begin in as little as 24 hours.
After one night of insufficient sleep, an individual may experience mental impairment, including decreased alertness, poor focus, slower reaction times, and worsened logical reasoning. They may also feel mood changes, such as irritability, anxiety, or depression.
As sleep deprivation continues, symptoms become more severe. After several days, an individual may experience "microsleeps," where they fall asleep for a few seconds without realizing it. They may also experience uncontrollable eye movements, trouble speaking clearly, drooping eyelids, hand tremors, hallucinations, and impaired judgment.
In the long term, sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems, including:
- Increased risk of obesity: Sleep deprivation affects the hormones that control feelings of hunger and fullness and can lead to weight gain.
- Cardiovascular disease: Sleep deprivation can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke and affect blood sugar, blood pressure, and inflammation levels.
- Type 2 diabetes: Sleep loss can reduce the body's tolerance for glucose and is linked to insulin resistance.
- Weakened immune system: Lack of sleep prevents the immune system from functioning optimally, making it harder to fight off invaders and increasing vulnerability to respiratory infections.
- Mental health issues: Sleep deprivation can worsen symptoms of depression and anxiety and make it harder to manage and process emotions.
To mitigate sleep deprivation, it is crucial to address any underlying causes, such as sleep disorders, shift work, substance use, or poor sleep habits. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, removing electronic devices from the bedroom, creating a comfortable sleep environment, and avoiding stimulants before bedtime can all help improve sleep quality.
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Health risks of sleep deprivation
While it is unclear exactly how long a person can go without sleep, sleep deprivation can have serious health consequences. Sleep deprivation occurs when a person gets less sleep than their body needs, and the effects can vary from person to person. The current world record for the longest period without sleep is 266 hours, or just over 11 days, held by a Californian high school student named Randy Gardner in 1964. However, Gardner reportedly experienced paranoia and hallucinations toward the end of his feat and, while he recovered without any long-term effects, the negative consequences of sleep deprivation are well documented.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that adults aged 18 to 60 get at least seven hours of sleep per night. However, missing just one or two hours of sleep can negatively affect a person's mood, energy levels, and ability to handle complex tasks. After 24 hours without sleep, a person is likely to feel tired and exhausted, and their risk of errors and accidents in everyday tasks increases. Sleep deprivation of this duration can also lead to reduced mental abilities, poor decision-making, and speech impairment.
Several days of sleep deprivation can significantly alter a person's perception, leading to hallucinations and illusions. It can also change a person's appetite, increasing their desire for foods associated with weight gain. Sleep deprivation has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, with consuming empty calories ultimately leading to more tiredness.
In the long term, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems, including:
- Type 2 diabetes: Sleep deprivation affects processes that keep the heart and blood vessels healthy, including blood sugar and insulin resistance.
- Heart disease: Sleep deprivation can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Weakened immune system: Sleep is necessary to keep the central nervous system functioning properly.
- Mental health issues: Adults with chronic sleep loss report excess mental distress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and alcohol use.
- Accidents: Sleep deprivation can increase the risk of dangerous accidents, with drowsy driving causing 795 deaths in the US in 2017.
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Sleep deprivation and appetite
It is unclear how long a person can go without sleep. The current world record for the longest period of time without sleep is 266 hours, which is just over 11 days. However, the negative effects of sleep deprivation can start to be felt within 24 hours, and can include reduced ability to think, poor decision-making, and speech impairment. After 36 hours, more extreme symptoms can occur, and people tend to experience the adverse effects of sleep deprivation within 72 hours.
Sleep deprivation can also have a significant impact on appetite and food choices. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation is associated with both an increased appetite and an increased desire for foods associated with weight gain. This is due to biochemical changes that occur as a result of sleep deprivation, which can affect the release of certain hormones, such as leptin, ghrelin, and insulin. Leptin is an appetite-regulating hormone that signals to the brain when we are full, and sleep deprivation can cause leptin levels to become dysregulated. Ghrelin, on the other hand, is a hormone that signals hunger, and sleep deprivation can cause a spike in ghrelin levels, leading to increased feelings of hunger. Insulin is a fat-storing hormone that responds to carbohydrate intake, and sleep deprivation can lead to insulin resistance, resulting in unnecessary fat storage. This can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
In addition to affecting hormone levels, sleep deprivation can also alter brain function, particularly in the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for complex decision-making, and sleep deprivation can blunt its function, making it more difficult to resist high-calorie food choices. The amygdala is involved in survival mode and the desire for food, and sleep deprivation can increase its reactivity to food desirability, making it more difficult to resist cravings.
Overall, sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on appetite and food choices, leading to increased cravings for high-calorie, high-fat foods. This can contribute to weight gain and increase the risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic health conditions. It is important to prioritize sleep and maintain a consistent sleep schedule to support both physical and emotional well-being.
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Recovery from sleep deprivation
While it is unclear how long a person can go without sleep, the current world record is 266 hours, or just over 11 days. However, after just 24 hours without sleep, people tend to experience adverse effects, and the symptoms of sleep deprivation worsen with time. Extreme symptoms can begin in as little as 36 hours, including a reduced ability to think, poor decision-making, and speech impairment. Sleep deprivation can also cause hallucinations and alter perception. It can also lead to reduced immune functioning and increase the risk of certain health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
It is important to prioritize recovery from sleep deprivation, as it can have detrimental effects on daytime functioning and increase the risk of various health issues, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, infection, and dementia. Seeking early diagnosis and treatment from a healthcare provider can help minimize the effects of sleep deprivation and prevent it from causing more serious problems.
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Sleep deprivation and driving
It is unclear exactly how long a person can go without sleep. The current world record for the longest period without sleep is 266 hours, or just over 11 days. However, after just 24 hours without sleep, people tend to experience the adverse effects of sleep deprivation. After 36 hours, extreme symptoms can begin, including a reduced ability to think, poor decision-making, and speech impairment.
Sleep deprivation can be fatal, and it increases the risk of dangerous accidents. Driving while sleep-deprived is incredibly dangerous and is responsible for a significant number of road traffic accidents and fatalities. In the US, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that in 2017, there were 91,000 car crashes, 50,000 injuries, and 795 deaths caused by drowsy driving. These figures are likely underestimates, as drowsy driving accidents are often attributed to other factors.
Drowsy driving is comparable to drunk driving in terms of the number of crashes caused and the level of impairment experienced by the driver. After 20 hours of being awake, a driver's impairment can be equated to a blood alcohol content of 0.08%, which is the legal limit in most US states. After 24 hours, this increases to 0.1%. Sleep deprivation slows reaction times and affects alertness, vigilance, multitasking, hand-eye coordination, and decision-making.
Younger drivers tend to show greater driving impairment and physiological drowsiness following sleep loss compared to older drivers. However, older drivers are not immune to the effects of sleep deprivation and still experience increased driving impairment relative to when they are well-rested.
To avoid drowsy driving, it is recommended to avoid driving during peak sleepiness periods (midnight to 6 am and late afternoon). If driving during these times is unavoidable, stay vigilant for signs of drowsiness, such as crossing over roadway lines or hitting a rumble strip. While drinking coffee or energy drinks may help you feel more alert, the effects are short-lived, and you may still experience "micro sleeps" while driving. If you start to feel sleepy while driving, it is recommended to pull over for a short 20-minute nap in a safe place.
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Frequently asked questions
No. The longest anyone has ever gone without sleep is 264 hours, which is just over 11 days. After 1 week without sleep, symptoms of sleep deprivation will be severe and may include hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions.
Sleep deprivation can affect a person's ability to work, maintain relationships, and function in their day-to-day life. Short-term symptoms of sleep deprivation include anxiety, irritability, daytime sleepiness, and impaired vision, hearing, and hand-eye coordination. Long-term symptoms include a weakened immune system, impaired glucose tolerance, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, cardiac events, and stroke.
The CDC recommends that adults between the ages of 18 and 60 get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Adults over 60 should get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep.
