# Ask the guy who has been awake for nearly 30 hours
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [December 20, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856 "2011-12-20T16:14:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/1 "2011-12-20T16:14:56Z")
So I have nothing of pressing importance happening this week, and at such times I let my sleep schedule wander. I’ve always been a night person, so staying up until 3 or 4 AM is no big deal. But last night I decided I would see the sun rise. It’s now almost lunch time.
Having done this a few times I know some of the symptoms my body will manifest, telling me enough is enough. But I wonder how far I can push it?
My reason for making this a question thread is to see for how long I can answer intelligibly. If you don’t have a question, then please make a comment to keep me awake and interested.
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### Author:  [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/2 "2011-12-20T16:22:26Z")
You’ve got a long way to go if you want set any record!
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/3 "2011-12-20T16:30:59Z")
What are the symptoms that you expect?
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/4 "2011-12-20T16:40:25Z")
30 hours and you’re already worried about being unintelligible? Hell, I used to stay up 30 hours straight every day! Stay up for a week, then come back and over the wind tell now world you said.
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### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/5 "2011-12-20T16:49:04Z")
what number of hours do you feel fatigued and have to push through it?
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/6 "2011-12-20T16:54:00Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> What are the symptoms that you expect?
The first thing that happens is that one of my lower legs gets sore and wants to curl up. I think it might be my body trying to go fetal position. Oddly though, it’s not always the same leg.
That passes after a while. Then I get slightly paranoid, which is accompanied by my peripheral vision becoming overly sensitive to motion. I keep startling myself think I saw something moving just out of my field of vision. What threw me a curve today was that something actually DID dart near the side of my vision. Turned out to be two deer running into the woods outside my window.
My motor skills deteriorate. I’m a good juggler, so I do that periodically. Many more drops than earlier in the day / night.
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/7 "2011-12-20T16:55:21Z")
> [@johnpost](#):
>
> what number of hours do you feel fatigued and have to push through it?
Between 22-24 seems the worst. Having pushed past that, I now feel fairly awake and alert. But I have no illusions that I’m capable of good performance on any sort of motor skill. I wouldn’t drive.
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### Author:  [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/8 "2011-12-20T17:34:27Z")
Seeing the sun rise and the light of a new day gives your body a boost. It tells it “it’s daytime, wake up!” But for me that only lasts until about lunch time of the second day. After that, things start to crash.
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### Author:  [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/9 "2011-12-20T17:41:22Z")
Heh, nice. I stayed up for 30 hours not too long ago. I figured it was time to go to bed when I started seeing “things” moving out of the corner of my eye, then turned to look and nothing was there.
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/10 "2011-12-20T17:51:36Z")
Wow, if I posted to the Dope every time I’ve been up all night working into the next day on a report my postcount would be just shy of Dio’s.
No, wait. If I did that, it would take me that much longer to finish, leading to that many more back-to-back all-nighters, leading to more posts, leading to…
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### Author:  [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/11 "2011-12-20T17:57:24Z")
How old are you (approximately)? I find that with each passing decade, it’s harder to go without sleep over 24 hours.
Are you doing this because of some work project or personal project that keeps you motivated to stay awake?
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/12 "2011-12-20T17:59:45Z")
> [@MoodIndigo1](#):
>
> How old are you (approximately)? I find that with each passing decade, it’s harder to go without sleep over 24 hours.
> Are you doing this because of some work project or personal project that keeps you motivated to stay awake?
Early 40’s. Strangely though, I think I had a harder time with this sort of thing when I was younger. Back then I used to nap a lot normally, now I hardly ever do.
Nothing special brought this on. I was up late working on a project, then I started watching some YouTube videos of TED lectures, and here I am quite a few hours later. I may go for a walk in a little while.
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/13 "2011-12-20T18:05:05Z")
On my end it’s because of a mix of global clients, high-pressure deadlines, clown-car scheduling and reputation for being there when clients need us.
Age is low 40s; always been a night person and functional on little sleep (though I prefer eight to ten hours when possible).
I know it’s time for a two- or three-hour nap around hour 40 or so when the white background of my monitor starts filling in with faint, wavy colours.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/14 "2011-12-20T18:11:52Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#):
>
> On my end it’s because of a mix of global clients, high-pressure deadlines, clown-car scheduling and reputation for being there when clients need us.
>
> Age is low 40s; always been a night person and functional on little sleep (though I prefer eight to ten hours when possible).
>
> I know it’s time for a two- or three-hour nap around hour 40 or so when the white background of my monitor starts filling in with faint, wavy colours.
I thought I had the only monitor like that. I have a digital clock that the numbers starting bouncing up and down on also. Wait, are you me?
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/15 "2011-12-20T18:18:53Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> Wait, are you me?
No, I am me. You are the Walrus. I think the OP is Number Six.
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### Author:  [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/16 "2011-12-20T18:23:59Z")
Is your vision _distorted?_
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### Author:  [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/17 "2011-12-20T21:40:06Z")
So are you still awake? Did you go for a walk and then fall asleep in some bushes were then some nice homeless blokes put you on a bus to New Orleans?
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/18 "2011-12-20T21:55:39Z")
I think he fell asleep at 11:56AM
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/19 "2011-12-20T22:05:51Z")
Still up. Planning on dinner soon and then to bed at last.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-has-been-awake-for-nearly-30-hours/606856/20 "2011-12-21T02:25:16Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> 30 hours and you’re already worried about being unintelligible? Hell, I used to stay up 30 hours straight every day! Stay up for a week, then come back and over the wind tell now world you said.
Amateur. I used to stay up 30 hours straight twice a day, and three times on weekends!
_yawn_
-D/a
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