How long can you go without sleep? Key facts

How long can you go without sleep? Although it’s unclear exactly how long humans can survive without sleep, the longer time registered has been 11 days. But the effects of sleep deprivation start to show much sooner. In this article, we explore the key facts behind sleeping and the consequences of not getting enough of it Credit: Wikipedia Commons The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults between the ages of 18 and 60 years get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. The number of hours varies according to your age. In general, newborns and infants need more sleep, and adults need less sleep. However, approximately 35 percent of adults in the United States do not get enough sleep. Adults should stay awake no longer than 17 hours to meet the CDC’s sleep recommendation. People tend to experience the adverse effects of sleep deprivation within 24 hours. How long can you go without sleep? Randy Gardner beat the record for staying awake the most in 1964, making it into the Guinness Book of Records. Gardner, then 17, was up for 11 days and 25 minutes . Though he did not experience physical symptoms right after his endeavor, he reportedly suffered from insomnia for years. Gardner’s 264 hours remains the longest scientifically verified period without sleep, breaking the previous record of 260 hours. It was described in a 1965 paper by sleep researcher William Dement of the Stanford University School of Medicine in California, who stayed awake with Gardner for the final three days. According to Dement, Gardner did not consume any stimulants during his “wakeathon”. He did, however, have people around him keeping him awake. Without such help, you would be fighting hard to stay awake after 36 hours and would find the urge […]

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