# Hey. 60 hour no sleep challenge. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 13, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147 "2012-07-13T21:53:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![x1not0time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/76d3ee/32.png) [@x1not0time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x1not0time)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/1 "2012-07-13T21:53:35Z")
I’ve heard you can get…ummm…interesting effects by depriving yourself of sleep. I Must Know. So, I figured, why not? This wasn’t planned…but I have some free time on my hands. I don’t need to be doing anything for a couple days. It’s Friday. I figure as long as I get 24 hours of bounce back time, I’ll be good. I have something I need to get done on Monday morning…so I need to be asleep by Sunday morning at 6. Thats, umm, I think, 24 + 16 hours (help me with the math here)…which means thats 40 hours. I’ve been up since 3 yesterday, so, that’s 24 hours. All together, that’s 64 hours. So, I want to stay awake for 64 hours. I’ve been up for 24, and I’m not tired anymore…so I’m guessing I’ve passed that stage. It’ll probably come back though. As it is, I’m good. So yeah, I’m journeying and seeing where the journeying takes me. 60 hours is the goal. I’ll keep you guys updated. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/2 "2012-07-13T22:05:27Z")
I have a question, what are you going to do all night? Many years ago I was having such horrifying nightmares that I decided it was better not sleeping, that lasted about a hour of forced staying awake after which I determined that the nightmares were better then trying to stay awake. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/3 "2012-07-13T22:11:48Z")
Now there’s a good idea. Hey, dude, the other kids are telling me you can get a real awesome high by lighting your hair on fire. Once you burn through the pain, you totally taste colors. [Note: Please do not set your hair on fire. Please do not deliberately harm your brain, even for a one-off short-term experiment.] ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/4 "2012-07-13T22:14:45Z")
I’ll be here for you dude. I’ll only be sleeping a few hours in the next 36. Your first time might be interesting. Do it a few times and the shine comes off. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/5 "2012-07-13T22:23:21Z")
I have had to do this to meet a project deadline that was unexpectedly moved up. This has happened more than once. I could handle it much more easily when I was younger. Now, after about 36 hours, I feel like I am coming down with the flu. Not a lot of fun. ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/6 "2012-07-13T22:25:51Z")
I have done over 5 days drug assisted. The hallucinations are frightening. Way different than acid. Acid seems to be a distortion whereas sleep deprivation of the kind I had were distinct figures often shadowy (meth monsters) and objects usually associated with light showing up form nowhere. I was aware I was hallucinating but was unsure what was real or not sometimes objects I knew to be real dissipated. Overall a dark dreadful feeling pierced with paranoia. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/7 "2012-07-13T22:27:54Z")
> [@x1not0time](#): > > I’ve heard you can get…ummm…interesting effects I can verify this, although it’s happened only once or twice so the results might not be reliable. I’d advise against it. > [@](#): > > This wasn’t planned…but I have some free time on my hands. I don’t need to be doing anything for a couple days. Well when you said taht, as long as you don’t drive, or walk, or work, then shoehorn butterhorse purple monkey dishwasher. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/8 "2012-07-13T22:40:48Z")
I get sleep dep after skipping a night’s sleep. Did this a lot during college: school during the day, had overnight shift making food for coffeehouses, school the next day, overnight work. That second night of work often got interesting. I learned to be REAL careful with the knives, more than usual, after one night of slicing tomatoes and finally realizing that wasn’t tomato juice all over the place, but blood from a pretty deep cut I hadn’t even noticed. The hallucinations, for me, weren’t interesting. Staring at the floor and seeing the lines kind of…quiver. Walking home and seeing a person in front of me at the crosswalk, only to realize when I got up there that it was a bush. That kind of thing. Nothing worth staying up for, certainly. Also, I get a bit more jumpy, while at the same time being much more slow to react. Like thinking I’m seeing things in my side vision that alarm me, but not really reacting to them in time to realize there’s nothing there. Not what I’d call a good time, really. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/9 "2012-07-13T22:56:23Z")
It’s not pleasant. I’ve hit the 36-40 hour mark once I think, and I was just so goddamn miserable I can’t describe it. Paranoid. Yes there are some hallucinations but they are not interesting or fascinating at all. They are just scary. And all you want to do is to make it stop. I say get some sleep! ---
**Author:** ![x1not0time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/76d3ee/32.png) [@x1not0time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x1not0time)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/10 "2012-07-13T23:02:35Z")
Anything to keep my mind active. Right now I’m on a fifa binge. Fifa really is on some bs, though. Legendary is insane…one mistake and goal. And if the computer decides it needs to score, there really is no stopping it. You just know it’s coming. Also, listening to music. So far it’s pretty tame. Odd future needs to die. I was, umm, thinking about going out later tonight. Maybe for an hour or two. See what happens. A bar. I’d bet I’d be beast with girls right now…I’d just be like…“umm, I’m tryna hit, don’t worry, I’m legit, and I won’t quit, quit, quit…until I’m on your clit clit clit…” Also, why the hell do I sleep so much??..I could be doing so much more… ---
**Author:** ![x1not0time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/76d3ee/32.png) [@x1not0time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x1not0time)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/11 "2012-07-13T23:04:38Z")
Meh, I’m not tired. It’s been 25 hours. I think I’ll take a walk. It’s nice out. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/12 "2012-07-13T23:10:15Z")
Yeah, walking’s better. Just, really, don’t drive. You’ll see after a walk that it does affect you more than you think. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/13 "2012-07-13T23:55:25Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > It’s not pleasant. I’ve hit the 36-40 hour mark once I think, and I was just so goddamn miserable I can’t describe it. Paranoid. Yes there are some hallucinations but they are not interesting or fascinating at all. They are just scary. And all you want to do is to make it stop. Yeah, I did 40+ hours a couple of times in college when I had major deadlines. I remember alternating between jittery paranoia and staring at things in a blank stupor. After the first 24 hours I felt like my skin was covered with a thin film of slime that wouldn’t wash off. Plus, the hallucinations were really boring: Hey is that a dog? No, it’s a fire hydrant. Whee. Have fun. :rolleyes: But I agree with **Taomist** , don’t drive. You’re way more impaired than you think. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/14 "2012-07-14T00:31:01Z")
I’ve spent several, separate days in an insomnia-induced stupor; they were bearable and I got through them okay. Not much good for short-term memory and so all I faintly remember is that I was a bit of a zombie and there was pain. A friend of mine stayed up 3 days on caffeine tablets and all he got was a headache so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/15 "2012-07-14T03:13:44Z")
I start seeing stuff after about 20 hrs. But yeah. Stay off the roads. And good luck, I guess … I mean, I think you’re sorta crazy for trying it, but I hope you come out of it unscathed. ---
**Author:** ![x1not0time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/76d3ee/32.png) [@x1not0time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x1not0time)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/16 "2012-07-14T03:18:13Z")
Took my walk. Talked to an old lady. Words were slurred. I bet she thought I was drunk/high. I’ve been through a major depressive state. Suicide glorification. Snapped out of it. Some more fifa, and music. The last hour was the hardest one. Blanked in and out a couple times. I can’t for the life of me remember how many hours I’ve been awake. Figure it’s better I don’t know. I know I have many to go. About to go to the store to pick up burritos and cigs. So far, the hardest part is the cycling. You go through periods were you are cycling down…and then you cycle up. It’s like your body is a yo yo of energy. But it’s like your mind. It’s mentally exhausting, as well as physically. My muscles ache. I think I should work out some, while I’m on a high. Can’t drive, so I’ll walk. If I can get a friend to drive me, I’d love to go to a bar. So far, no hallucinations or visualization. Just extreme effort to form cognition. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/17 "2012-07-14T04:22:53Z")
Ok, now’s the time to try to remember stuff. Song lyrics, phone numbers, people’s birthdays. See how you do. ---
**Author:** ![x1not0time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/76d3ee/32.png) [@x1not0time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x1not0time)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/18 "2012-07-14T04:56:46Z")
I think I have a good handle on that stuff. What I’m having a hard time doing is figuring out how I relate specifically to expressed sentiments. Also, word order is giving me fits. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/19 "2012-07-14T05:19:55Z")
Sounds like you’re in pretty good shape. At some point, that you may have reached, your body is producing extra hormones to keep you going. Time to get a brilliant idea and try to implement it before you fall asleep. Don’t bother writing down your plans, that wastes time, and ruins the fun you’ll have later trying to figure out what you were thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147/20 "2012-07-14T08:15:03Z")
**x1not0time** , are you still awake? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-60-hour-no-sleep-challenge/628147.md?page=2)