# Caffeine until death **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 24, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507 "2014-11-24T18:53:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Cardboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardboard)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507/1 "2014-11-24T18:53:10Z")
Can you force yourself to stay awake until you die by taking ever-increasing doses of caffeine, or will the body shut down eventually, no matter the amount of caffeine rushing through the system? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507/2 "2014-11-24T18:55:58Z")
If you take enough caffeine at one time you can die of an overdose. I don’t know if your ‘body shutting down’ is any different than dying. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507/3 "2014-11-24T18:57:10Z")
I think the need to sleep will eventually overpower the caffeine. You’d fall down asleep. Also, if you kept ingesting caffeine, you might die from overdose. > **[Elyria and Lorain County news | Chronicle Telegram](https://chroniclet.com)** > > For Elyria and Lorain County news, trust Chronicle Telegram. We keep you up-to-date on local and breaking news. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507/4 "2014-11-24T20:11:30Z")
[Death By Caffeine](http://www.caffeineinformer.com/death-by-caffeine) ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507/5 "2014-11-24T20:38:30Z")
if you stay awake long enough by taking caffeine then you will nervously fall asleep and have vivid dreams. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507/6 "2014-11-24T22:14:09Z")
Tolerance. I could drink a pot of coffee right before bed and sleep like a baby. So I don’t think coffee is actually very good at keeping someone awake. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507/7 "2014-11-24T22:55:34Z")
Wikihow on lucid dreaming. I remember the “look at your hands” nonsense from Casteneda–read while high, natch. ETA: to **johnpost** ---
**Author:** ![Cardboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Cardboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardboard)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507/8 "2014-12-05T20:31:17Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > If you take enough caffeine at one time you can die of an overdose. I don’t know if your ‘body shutting down’ is any different than dying. By “shut down” I meant force itself to fall asleep, not die. ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507/9 "2014-12-06T16:35:05Z")
You will collapse from lack of sleep. And when you wake up, your head will be pounding and your sinuses will feel stuffed up from caffeine withdrawal. And you’ll probably puke at some point due to your nervous system is so out of whack. I don’t recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507/10 "2014-12-06T18:09:01Z")
^The man knows of what he speaks! ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caffeine-until-death/705507/11 "2014-12-06T23:20:36Z")
Its hideously complex topic… sleepiness changes many of the endocrines such as cortisol and so on … Probably the biggest risk is that when you are so tired you’d be sitting still for a long period of time and risk deep vein thrombosis, as the legs get proper blood flow when either horizontal, or being used (muscles pump blood , as the muscles squash on the tubes and cause pulses in pressure, and the veins have valves that ensure the pulses are in the proper direction … ) The body is also at lesser ability to cope with the deep vein thrombosis, and the clot is worse due to dehydration and cortisol and high blood pressure… eg an aneurism may occur before the clot is cleared …