There are a lot of weird sleep-related world records out there. From the longest line of human-mattress dominoes—2016 ‘dominoes’ and took 14 minutes for all of them to fall—to the most people served breakfast in bed at once—418 people in 113 beds set up on the lawn of a Sheraton Hotel in China. But there’s one record that remains elusive: who holds the record for longest consecutive slumber?
Tough to call - What's the Longest Someone Has Slept?
The length of time someone is actually asleep is pretty tough to measure, which is what has kept the official title out of the hands of sleepers around the world. That doesn’t mean, however, that there have been no valiant attempts—though they don’t really count as real sleep.
In October of 2017, Wyatt Shaw from Kentucky fell asleep for 11 days. He was just seven years old and doctors ran several tests with no conclusive explanations. Wyatt did wake up with cognitive impairment, particularly when walking and talking, but made a full recovery after treatment with drugs typically used in seizure management.
In 1959, UK hypnotist Peter Powers put himself under a hypnotic sleep for eight straight days. It made quite the splash in European media and radio shows, but doesn’t quite count as sleeping.
Other weird records
There may not be much to go on when it comes to the longest sleep of all time, but there are all kinds of wild records for other sleep-related shenanigans.
The longest someone has gone without sleep belongs to Randy Gardner, who stayed awake for 11 straight days when he was 17 in the name of science. In 1964, Randy volunteered to go as long as possible without sleep and let researchers study the changes in his brain activity. Previously, Peter Tripp held the first record at 201 hours and suffered from hallucinations for several days after. Between Peter and Randy, Honolulu DJ Tom Rounds made it to 260 hours. Randy tapped out at 264 hours, and slept for 14 hours straight after.
By the tenth day, Randy was unable to complete simple mathematic equations and experienced hallucinations and a lot of confusion. Now with so much awareness about how harmful sleep deprivation can be, the Guinness World Records organization no longer responds to attempted records of sleep deprivation.
Honorable mentions:
Snugpak created the world’s largest sleeping bag in 2014 to help raise money for charity.
In May of 2008, Girlguiding UK organized the world’s largest pajama party, with 1626 participants.
Swedish resident Kare Walkert holds the record for loudest snore, at 93 decibels in 1993.
FAQs
In December 1963/January 1964, 17-year-old Gardner stayed awake for 11 days and 24 minutes (264.4 hours), breaking the previous record of 260 hours held by Tom Rounds. Gardner's record was then broken multiple times until 1997, when Guinness World Records ceased accepting new attempts for safety reasons.
What's the longest time someone went without sleep? ›
In December 1963/January 1964, 17-year-old Gardner stayed awake for 11 days and 24 minutes (264.4 hours), breaking the previous record of 260 hours held by Tom Rounds. Gardner's record was then broken multiple times until 1997, when Guinness World Records ceased accepting new attempts for safety reasons.
What is the longest time a person has slept? ›
The record for the world's longest sleep is 11 days.
What is a long time to go without sleep? ›
While you might be able to go a day or more without sleep, doing so is bad for your health. After just 24 hours with no sleep, you may experience effects like anxiety, irritability, and daytime sleepiness. The symptoms worsen the longer you go without sleep. After 36 hours, hallucinations might begin.
Who is the man who has not slept for years? ›
An 80-year-old man from Vietnam claims to have not slept since 1962. His name is Thai Ngoc.
What is the most a human can go without sleep? ›
Overachiever that he was, he ended up setting a world record — he made it 11 days and 25 minutes without sleep. He'll forever hold that record because the Guinness Book of World Records got rid of the category.
What is the maximum time you can go without sleep? ›
The longest recorded time without sleep is approximately 264 hours, or just over 11 consecutive days. Although it's unclear exactly how long humans can survive without sleep, it isn't long before the effects of sleep deprivation start to show. After only three or four nights without sleep, you can start to hallucinate.
What's the longest you can sleep without waking up? ›
In 1959, UK hypnotist Peter Powers put himself under a hypnotic sleep for eight straight days.
What happens if you don't sleep at night but sleep all day? ›
Puffy eyes and dark circles, cravings and hunger pangs that can contribute to obesity, poor focus on tasks at work or home, frequent infections because of poor immunity are some of the ways in which our body is affected due to lack of proper sleep.
How long does it take to hallucinate from lack of sleep? ›
What constitutes “long enough,” though, depends on how long they've been awake vs. asleep: With total sleep deprivation, meaning someone hasn't slept at all overnight, hallucinations can start to occur after 24 hours but become more likely when a person is awake for 36 to 48 hours straight.
Sleeping for 3 hours a year sounds practically impossible. However, there are many sources which suggest that Einstein, Tesla, Leo Da Vinci and many other past century geniuses did sleep for only a few hours per day or they took several naps of few minutes each, per day.
Which animal never sleeps? ›
They react differently when external stimuli are applied while sleeping and while awake. But the bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus show the same reaction in both situations. This indicates that bullfrogs do not sleep. Lithobates catesbeianus is an animal that cannot sleep.
Who was the man who never slept? ›
Al Herpin (January 1, 1862 in Paris – January 3, 1947) was an American known as the "Man Who Never Slept". Al Herpin, who lived in Trenton, New Jersey, claimed to have never slept.
Can a human go 30 days without sleep? ›
The easy experimental answer to this question is 264 hours (about 11 days). In 1965, Randy Gardner, a 17-year-old high school student, set this apparent world-record for a science fair. Several other normal research subjects have remained awake for eight to 10 days in carefully monitored experiments.
What happens if you don't sleep for 3 days? ›
72 hours without sleep
Going for 3 days without sleep will have profound effects on a person's mood and cognition. In a 2015 study, two astronauts experienced impaired cognitive functioning, increased heart rate, and a reduction in positive emotions after staying awake for 72 hours.
Can you survive 20 hours without sleep? ›
Though lack of sleep won't kill you directly, you might feel like you're on your way out if you're experiencing severe sleep deprivation. If you stay up for more than 48 hours on end, you'll likely battle intense physical and mental symptoms, including: Memory loss. Inability to focus on normal daily tasks.
