awake

[K99]

How long has anyone stayed awake for?

Is it dangerous to stay awake for long periods?

Is brain activity different?

[andy-hughes]

It is dangerous to stay awake for excessive periods. The human brain will die from lack of food in approx. eleven days, but lack of sleep will kill the brain in five.

The brain works by using its rest periods as 'down time' - it processes the sensory input it has received and puts it in order, retaining and dismissing as appropriate. Absence of this time causes serious and ultimately fatal malfunctions.

I am not a scientist, but must assume that the brain activity during forced wakefulness will cause different activity, but I lack sufficient infomration to comment further.

[campbellking]

As Andy says, can be dangerous as in the train crash where the man fell asleep and ended up on the train track, causing fatalities on the train.

[tubeway]

After an operation I was unable to sleep for ten days (don't ask - its a long story) - and am alive to tell the tale. I was very disoriented, experienced hallucinations and was very forgetful. I had learned some material in the 4 weeks prior to the op - but could not remember it at all after my sleepless period.

[malajusted1]

last year- i stayed awake for 5 days. I was working nights, was best man at a wedding and was due to go to another wedding in New York.

Amazingly i was really alert (usually i'm half asleep!)- with no side effects- it must have been all the excitement. I would still advise against it as it can be very dangerous.

[Cockney_si]

There was a channel 4 reality programme on that had people awake for about 5 days and it was really interesting. People were microsleeping on and off for a few seconds. I've only ever stayed awake once after a night out in london and I was ok as long as I kept eating and drinking plenty of water, only trouble was when I got home on the Sunday morning around 9:45am it seemed like it was the afternoon.

[gary baldy]

When i was younger and a die hard raver i once woke up on Thursday morning and didnt go to bed until Sunday night.
All i can say is that my brain activity was definitely different but i think lack of sleep was only part of the reason!