On a navy ship with the crew divided into three sections, I slept six straight hours one night out of every three, with three or four 20-minute naps, for six months while at sea.
Testing positive for amphetamines would have put me in the ship’s brig (a small cage with another sailor posted outside to make sure the confined person did not lie on the bunk between six AM and ten PM - but nice guards would let him sit on the commode).
As long as one kept moving and didn’t skip meals, it was possible.
When my gallbladder went all apeshit I was awake for close to 72 hours before seeking medical attention. I kept thinking the pain would go away, then I’d sleep, then I’d call my doctor. But the pain never stopped. I was a mess.
(As an aside, I swore I’d never do anything stupid like that again. But when I had horrible chest pains I assumed since I didn’t die it wasn’t my heart. I chugged mylanta for a month before I realized it was no way gastrointestinal.)
The summer I was 16, I once tried to see how long I could stay awake. I woke about noon on July 1 and didn’t sleep again until a little after midnight on the 5th. I was hallucinating most of the afternoon of the 4th.
Approximately seventy hours. I’ve been a lifelong insomniac (even now, with better medication meaning I am in my best sleep period for decades, I consider 4-5 hours “normal”) and at one period at University it all broke down so much I just gave up on going to bed.
About 42 hours, in college at the end of a semester when I had a few finals and a paper due all at once. I remember drinking a ton of coffee early the first morning, and getting the shakes so bad I thought I was having a heart attack. I called my mom all freaked out. The second morning was when I had my last final of the semester, and I went in to the classroom convinced I was going to vomit during the test. I was an absolute wreck.
I got home from the test around 9am, laid on the couch, blinked, and it was suddenly 5pm.
Dang, Omar Little has me beat. I did 100 hours even during college while finishing some final group projects for a class where my group was me and 2 people that did nothing and 1 person that did negative work. Did it without caffeine too. You definitely still have more awake and less awake periods, and I was pretty manic by the end of it.
About 36 hours. Had a project at work once where we worked through the night on top of a regular work day. And I could have gone home in the morning, but I figured that if I did, I’d be giving back most of the OT that I’d just racked up, and my sleep schedule would be messed up too. So I stayed and worked my usual daytime hours after the all-nighter, then went home and crashed for 12 hours.
I had just started a new job working 11pm-7am. At the same time, I was in the process of moving. So, for 3 days every morning when I got out of work, I would clean or move a few more things. After 3 days I finally laid down to go to sleep, and when I closed my eyes, it felt like I was floating up off the bed. That was coolest feeling I’ve ever had, and boy did I ever sleep.
That was in my 40’s. When I was in my twenties, I’m sure I was up for days a few times doing coke. It’s amazing what you can do when you’re in your twenties, that nearly kills you in your 40’s.
There have been a few times where I’ve gone 48+ hours without sleep. Those weren’t the worst. The worst was when I went extended periods of time on very little sleep. For a time, I was working two full-time jobs and was only getting 1-3 hours of sleep a night, and maybe 30 minutes napping in my car between jobs. This went on for maybe 5 months before my sisters and mothers talked me into quitting one of the jobs.
I was a zombie - incapable of complex thought. I got sick pretty much every month, and at one point was going on such little sleep I had minor visual/auditory hallucinations (one of the jobs was working as security in a closed lumber mill. Only a flashlight walking rounds in a dark mill wasn’t good on little sleep). I definitely don’t suggest torturing yourself like that. I’d never do it to myself again.
In the midst of mania I’ve had 10-14 day periods where I only managed a few hours of sleep every 3 or 4 days. It’s one hell of an experience, I recommend nobody tries it.
In the ARMY, 72 hours, walked into a tree, full bird I had just past without saluting put me in the nearest cot ( out in the field ) & told them not to wake me. Slept for 14 hours. Was amazed my Sargent had been notified & I was not in trouble. One cool Colonel he was.
Somewhere around 72 hours in college. I didn’t even need to, I just felt like it was a thing I should do once in my life. While everyone else had to in order to scramble and finish all their senior projects, I’d already finished mine. Since they were staying up all night in the labs I figured it was an ideal time to do it myself. And we would have music and movies and comedians on the whole time and all my friends were there, so I wouldn’t get bored. I didn’t use any caffiene - past the first “you want to sleep” point it became easy to ignore the need. Felt thinner and thinner each day - like I was being stretched taut. But very energetic. Finally, walking back to the dorm at 7:00 or 7:30 am or so on the fourth day I suddenly had this hallucination that I was sinking into the ground as I walked. I made it to the elevator and pushed a button, and stood in the corner of the elevator facing the wall. I don’t know how long I was there but eventually I realized the door was open and I should leave. I enter my dorm room, move my chair to in front of the microwave for some reason, and sit down. I look at the clock and it says 8:00 (am). I blink. It now says 1:00 (pm).
I missed my morning class. I didn’t like that one and I was passing the class anyway. Pbbt.
