# Is it possible to live without sleep? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 25, 2003, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487 "2003-08-25T10:25:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/41 "2011-02-02T20:15:41Z")
> [@slipster](#): > > … > > There are people who claim to have gone without sleep for decades. …Some of these people are probably entirely sincere. … > While people commonly don’t realize it, it is actually very difficult to account for exactly when one sleeps, or for how long. Most people waken several times each night, but do not recall it in the morning. > > A few years back I was treated for a sleep disorder and was kept at a sleep treatment center at a hospital for 24 hours of observation. As part of this observaton, I was supposed to attempt four fifteen minute naps. > > I was later asked if I had slept during these periods. I had been observed by cameras, and I had multiple electrodes attached to me. I was able to say with absolute confidence that I had not slept during any of these attempts. In fact, I had slept for half of one the fifteen intervals, and another time I had been unconscious for nearly the whole time. Preach it! I too had that same test (Multiple Sleep Latency Test) and their definition of “sleep” is quite different from mine. I guess the earlier stages, where you’re mostly conscious and aware of what’s going on, still qualify as sleep. Some of my “awake the whole time” sessions had latencies of as little as 2 minutes. I will say that for the nighttime part of the study, their count of total awakenings meshed reasonably well with what I thought regarding number of awakenings. The main difference was I thought it took a lot longer to get to sleep than they said it did. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/42 "2011-02-02T20:49:15Z")
> [@SoulSearching](#): > > If an average person sleeps an average of 8 hours a day, he will waste 1/3 of his lifetime doing absolutely nothing. What is this “waste” of which you speak? For me, a life in balance is a life well spent. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/43 "2011-02-02T20:58:57Z")
Here you go: [the Uberman sleep schedule.](http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2002/4/15/103358/720) > [@](#): > > The Uberman sleep schedule is a method of organizing your sleeping time to maximize your REM sleep and minimize your non-REM sleep. The goal of the sleep cycle is that you are actively in REM sleep within a couple of minutes of falling asleep and remain in that state until you awaken. I originally read about the schedule on everything2…It is important to note that there are no studies as to the long-term physical or physiological impact of this sleep cycle. I really don’t know if this cycle is causing long-term damage to myself or not, and if this concerns you, I wouldn’t attempt the cycle. However, the benefits are fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/44 "2011-02-02T21:04:02Z")
> [@SoulSearching](#): > > If an average person sleeps an average of 8 hours a day, he will waste 1/3 of his lifetime doing absolutely nothing. Can you imagine how productive and advanced humans would be if sleep was not necessary? Imagine if einstein had another 1/3 of his lifetime to develop new theories and inventions… What did Einstein _invent_? ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/45 "2011-02-02T21:30:02Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > What did Einstein _invent_? The Jewfro. ---
**Author:** ![Shabbyskunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Shabbyskunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shabbyskunk)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/46 "2011-02-06T09:26:13Z")
I can see where you’re coming from by saying we could get a lot more achieved in that amount of time but without sleep we wouldn’t be able to concentrate so wouldn’t really focus on getting anything done. There was a guy who stayed awake for 11 days, I’m not sure wether it was for a study or if he was just trying to break a world record but started having hallucinations and his health deteriorated badly. My advice, get some shut eye 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lightlystarched](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Lightlystarched](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightlystarched)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/47 "2011-02-07T00:13:40Z")
I can’t remember where I read this idea… that our preferred or natural (not a great word choice, I know) state is asleep. That we wake up in order to perform the functions that are required for life…eating, drinking, sex. I’m not sure I believe that, but it’s stuck with me. It seems like herbivores that require more time eating spend more time awake, and carnivores that can get all their daily calories from once nice big meal, spend more time napping. Maybe even all our “vegging” states are necessary - sitting in front of the tube is akin to a big cat resting and we NEED that down time. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/48 "2011-02-07T01:38:21Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Hennessy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hennessy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hennessy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/49 "2011-02-07T07:07:46Z")
Just theorizing. It is possible. I live without sleep for about 12-15 hours a day. On a more serious note, maybe there is a certain something in the brain we could snip to stay mentally aware forever. Your bones, organs, muscles probably don’t need sleep but they do need a break. Your brain is really what shuts down and because it does shut down, then it is needed. You could argue it is working just as much or twice as much but it is out of your control (did you know there is strange guy that stands over you with a knife while you sleep? i bet u didn’t). SO going off this, you have to take a break from reality or from yourself. Too much reality causes irritability, paranoia, hallucinations etc. The next question would be… Why? - I’m not sure sensibility could answer this question but I’m sure it could be explained with sense ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/50 "2011-02-07T10:19:26Z")
And then there are those wee pesky peroxiredoxins. [http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2011012601](http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2011012601) ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/51 "2011-02-07T11:52:53Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > What did Einstein _invent_? The [Einstein-Sizlard refrigerator](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_refrigerator). ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/52 "2011-02-07T13:00:30Z")
> [@Hennessy](#): > > On a more serious note, maybe there is a certain something in the brain we could snip to stay mentally aware forever. Sure, but it’ll kill you. As was pointed out in post #9, there are people who develop a rare disorder that stops sleep, and it universally kills them. ---
**Author:** ![Philliam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/philliam/32/3011_2.png) [@Philliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philliam)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487/53 "2011-02-07T19:03:37Z")
Only if your name is Keith Richard:D [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-live-without-sleep/197487.md?page=2)