Is it possible for a person not to sleep for a whole week?!
Question: Yes.
1. Time or Newsweek magazine did an article years ago on this. Now, folks may think that they are staying awake, but they do have what's called "microsleep," seconds or moments of actual sleep (depressed brain wave activity). The article also cited two interesting things:
a) after 10 days of no sleep, people become psychotic (no big secret);
b) even after 10 days of no sleep, people sleep for up to 16 hours, then wake up - to eat, to reorientate themsleves, etc. They don't sleep for days to catch up. You can't really make up for lost sleep - a real indicator of faster aging. We need the sleep.
2. This is a bit gruesome, but if you are injecting methaphetamine (crystal meth), you can take warm baths, eat a little now and then, and stay awake for over a week. I say this from a period of my life long passed. It is most definitely possible. You look kind of awful, but it's not the end of the world. And sleep sure is a welcome relief!
Frederic Kahler
Answers: Yes.
1. Time or Newsweek magazine did an article years ago on this. Now, folks may think that they are staying awake, but they do have what's called "microsleep," seconds or moments of actual sleep (depressed brain wave activity). The article also cited two interesting things:
a) after 10 days of no sleep, people become psychotic (no big secret);
b) even after 10 days of no sleep, people sleep for up to 16 hours, then wake up - to eat, to reorientate themsleves, etc. They don't sleep for days to catch up. You can't really make up for lost sleep - a real indicator of faster aging. We need the sleep.
2. This is a bit gruesome, but if you are injecting methaphetamine (crystal meth), you can take warm baths, eat a little now and then, and stay awake for over a week. I say this from a period of my life long passed. It is most definitely possible. You look kind of awful, but it's not the end of the world. And sleep sure is a welcome relief!
Frederic Kahler
Naturally? No
On drugs or other stimulants? Yes
It has happened...3 days up for me is long enough...
Sure, although their performance will decrease across many areas of mental function (reaction time will rise heavily, rational decision making will be slowed and prone to error etc etc), however going much above a week is where you begin to hit the danger zone (IIRC the record survival time without sleep is at around 10 or 11 days, meaning before the person died from sleep deprivation related symptoms).
However it would not work naturally, stimulant drugs would be required for a healthy person to remain awake for this period of time, there are some conditions and diseases which actually block the ability of the brain to sleep, like anything sleep relies on chemical and physical pathways in the brain if these are blocked it prevents the person sleeping (these situations if not treated are all fatal part way through the second week).
Yes, I've seen it happen, though only when induced by stimulants such as amphetamine (legal or otherwise). Even in this circumstance however, the body will eventually succumb, and a person could be walking down the street and simply pass out.