Ashwin Lewis
Sleep is essential for good health and plays a vital role in brain function, physical performance, and long-term health. While it is unclear exactly how long a person can survive without sleep, severe symptoms of sleep deprivation can manifest in as little as 24 to 36 hours. After 36 hours of sleep deprivation, individuals may experience increased mood changes, alterations in brain function, and physical symptoms, with some even beginning to hallucinate. The longer one goes without sleep, the more severe the side effects, with three days of sleep deprivation being used as a form of torture. While it is rare to die from a lack of sleep, sleep deprivation can increase the risk of dangerous accidents and, in extreme cases, death. So, how can one sleep for five years without dying?
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What You'll Learn
Sleep deprivation can lead to severe health issues
Sleep is a biological need, much like eating and drinking. It is essential for good health and well-being. Sleep deprivation can have a wide range of adverse effects on both physical and mental health. While the amount of time a person can survive without sleep is unclear, severe symptoms can manifest in as little as 24 to 36 hours.
After 24 hours without sleep, you may experience impaired coordination and memory. Research from 2010 suggests that staying awake for 20 to 25 hours affects your focus and performance as much as having a blood alcohol level (BAC) of 0.10%, which is above the legal limit for driving in most places. This can increase your risk of accidents, whether it's driving or doing something potentially hazardous.
As the duration of sleep deprivation increases, so do the adverse effects. After 36 hours of little to no sleep, you may experience more intense symptoms, including severe cognitive problems, memory deficits, depressed mood, and impaired decision-making. Some people may also experience microsleep, which is when you briefly lose consciousness for a few seconds or even up to half a minute. This can occur during activities that require your full attention, such as driving, putting you at risk of accidents.
The effects of sleep deprivation on your immune system also intensify after 48 hours. Your body's ability to protect itself against cell damage is impaired, and you become more susceptible to illness as your immune system weakens. Additionally, sleep deprivation can increase your risk of developing various health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and depression.
Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to long-term health consequences and even death in extreme cases. It is important to prioritize sleep and seek help from a healthcare provider if you are experiencing difficulty sleeping or recovering from sleep deprivation.
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Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is a rare sleep disorder that can cause death
Sleep is essential for good health. While it is rare, it is possible to die from a lack of sleep. An incredibly rare sleep disorder called fatal familial insomnia (FFI) can result in death. FFI is a rare genetic condition that causes insomnia, memory loss, and involuntary muscle twitching. The condition worsens over time and is life-threatening. The symptoms of FFI typically present in middle adulthood, and there is currently no cure. Death usually occurs within 12–18 months of the onset of symptoms.
Fatal familial insomnia is a rare genetic degenerative brain disorder. It is characterized by an inability to sleep, which may initially be mild but progressively worsens, leading to significant physical and mental deterioration. The disorder is caused by an abnormal variant in the prion-related protein (PRNP) gene, which results in the accumulation of misfolded prion proteins in the brain. These misfolded proteins are toxic to the body, particularly the cells of the nervous system. In FFI, they are primarily found in the thalamus, a region of the brain that regulates sleep, among other functions. As the misfolded proteins build up, they cause progressive destruction of nerve cells, leading to the symptoms of FFI.
The symptoms of FFI include insomnia, memory loss or dementia, high blood pressure, a faster-than-normal heart rate, anxiety, hallucinations, and speech and coordination problems. The insomnia typically begins suddenly and worsens over a few months, eventually leading to a state of total insomnia. This lack of sleep leads to physical and mental deterioration and can ultimately progress to a coma. The effects of FFI on the brain and nervous system are what cause death in people with the disorder.
While FFI is a rare disorder, it is estimated to affect 1 to 2 people out of every 1 million. It is an autosomal dominant disease caused by a mutation in the PRNP gene, which is located on chromosome 20. The average age of onset is 45 to 50 years old, but FFI has been observed in individuals as young as their teens and as old as their 70s. The presentation of the disease can vary considerably between individuals, even within the same family.
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Microsleeps occur after 36 hours of no sleep
It is unclear exactly how long a person can survive without sleep, and the effects of sleep deprivation vary from person to person. However, after 36 hours of no sleep, severe symptoms can occur, including memory deficits, depressed mood, and impaired decision-making. This is also when people often begin to experience microsleep.
Microsleep refers to very short periods of sleep, lasting a few seconds rather than minutes or hours. During microsleep, a person may nod off or keep their eyes open and appear awake, but their brain is not processing external information as usual. Microsleeps are most likely to occur after sleep deprivation, and they can pose a threat to public safety. Driving while experiencing microsleep is a common hazard, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimating that up to 6,000 fatal crashes each year may be linked to drowsy drivers. Other accidents and catastrophes have also been attributed to microsleep, including a rail accident in 2003 and an Air France plane crash in 2009.
Microsleeps can occur during monotonous tasks, such as driving on an empty highway, and they are often identified by a person briefly closing their eyes or experiencing head nodding. People who experience microsleep often remain unaware of it, believing they have been awake the whole time or have simply lost focus. However, during microsleep, the brain rapidly flips between being asleep and awake, and the individual loses conscious control of their performance.
The primary risks of microsleep are accidents that could occur while driving, operating heavy machinery, performing surgery, or other similarly sensitive tasks. Short-term fixes for sleepiness can help reduce microsleep, such as taking a break to move around, having a power nap, talking to someone, or consuming caffeine. It is important to get enough sleep to prevent microsleep and its potential dangers.
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Sleep deprivation can cause accidents
It is rare to die from a lack of sleep, but sleep deprivation can still have serious consequences. Sleep is essential for good health, and the body needs sleep to function. Sleep requirements vary between people and depend on age, but the CDC recommends that adults aged 18–60 get at least seven hours of sleep per night. However, 35% of US adults do not meet this recommendation.
The effects of sleep deprivation can be felt within 24 hours. After 24 hours without sleep, you may experience impaired coordination and memory, similar to the effects of intoxication. After 36 hours, the impact on health and function becomes more severe, and you may experience depressed mood, impaired decision-making, and memory deficits. You may also experience microsleep, where you lose consciousness for a few seconds to half a minute.
The risk of accidents increases when people are sleep-deprived. Sleep-deprived individuals are more likely to be involved in workplace accidents, and long work hours paired with poor sleep quality can further increase this risk. In a Swedish study of 50,000 workers, those with disturbed sleep were twice as likely to die in a workplace accident. Sleep deprivation has also contributed to infamous accidents such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, and the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant incident.
Sleep deprivation is also a significant factor in motor vehicle crashes. In 2015, US police reported 90,000 crashes involving sleep-deprived drivers, and drowsy driving claimed 795 lives in 2017. Drivers who sleep less than five hours daily or less than seven hours in the past 24 hours have significantly elevated crash rates. Sleep apnea, a common cause of sleep deficiency, is also associated with a higher risk of vehicle crashes.
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Sleep is essential for physical and mental well-being
Sleep is a biological necessity, and insufficient sleep is detrimental to one's health, well-being, and public safety. While it is unclear exactly how long a person can survive without sleep, sleep deprivation can have severe short- and long-term health effects. After 24 hours without sleep, people may experience impaired coordination and memory, similar to the effects of intoxication. After 36 hours, the impact on health and function becomes much more severe, with people reporting depressed moods, impaired decision-making, and increased risk of accidents.
Mentally, sleep is vital for cognitive functioning, mood, and mental health. Sleep deprivation can dramatically affect one's mood and is associated with an increased risk of mortality. Sleep also helps us process information and consolidate memories. For children, sleep or poor-quality sleep can lead to difficult behaviors and a lower capacity to learn and retain information. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to sleep deprivation, as their biological changes affect when they feel sleepy, making it difficult for them to go to bed early even when they are sleep-deprived.
Overall, getting regular and adequate sleep is the best way to promote good health and prevent long-term issues. Sleep is essential to our bodies, just like eating, drinking, and breathing. Therefore, it is crucial to prioritize sleep and create a healthy sleep pattern to ensure we are getting the right amount of quality sleep.
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Frequently asked questions
It is not possible to sleep for 5 years without dying. The longest recorded time without sleep is 264-266 hours, or just over 11 days. Sleep is a biological need and plays a vital role in brain function, physical performance, and long-term health.
Sleep deprivation can have many short- and long-term health effects. After 24 hours without sleep, you may feel similar to being intoxicated, and your ability to drive or do something potentially unsafe is compromised. After 36 hours without sleep, you may experience increased mood changes, alterations in brain function, and physical symptoms like hallucinations. After 48 hours without sleep, symptoms of depersonalization and derealization may occur, and your immune system is impacted.
Chronic sleep deprivation can significantly impact your health and raise your risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, poor balance and coordination, weakened immune system, impaired glucose tolerance and Type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, cardiac events, stroke, and depression.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that adults between the ages of 18 and 60 get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Adults 61-64 should get 7-9 hours, and people 65 and older should get 7-8 hours.
