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It looks like people can die from lack of sleep. How do they die?
One of the possible side effects of a continued lack of sleep is death. Usually this is the result of the fact that the immune system is weakened without sleep. The number of white blood cells within the body decreases, as does the activity of the remaining white blood cells. The body also decreases the amount of growth hormone produced (8). The ability of the body to metabolize sugar declines, turning sugar into fat. One study stated that people who sleep less than four hours per night are three times more likely to die within the next six years (11). Although the longest a human has remained awake was eleven days rats that are continually deprived of sleep die within two to five weeks, generally due to their severely weakened immune system (10), (11), (12).
-- http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro01/web3/Ledoux.html
Presuming that story to be true, the likely complicating factor would be dehydration. Severe dehydation will mess up your electrolytes (C, K, Mg). The ultimate CoD is basically a heart attack.Pengwuino said:I remember there being a few articles about people dieing from playing World of Warcraft too much. They pretty much sat at their chair for some 35 hours and just died. No mention of any diseases or illnesses they had.
A big online funeral was held for Snowly one week after her death. But the event was sadly overshadowed by the death of another game enthusiast nicknamed "Nan Ren Gu Shi".
Wikipedia says:pikapika! said:I don't think you need to decide to sleep. eventually you would faint. To die from lack of sleep you would have to be in a position where its impossible where its impossible to sleep.
It has been documented that depriving rats of REM sleep specifically leads to death in 3 to 8 weeks (which doesn't happen with depriving test animals of other specific sleep phases), but it has also been documented that humans survive without REM sleep for longer than other animals. There have been tests on humans in which REM sleep was deprived, and all subjects in the study had to quit before the study could run to completion. Obviously, scientists cannot ethically experiment how long it takes for lack of sleep to kill a person. As polyphasic sleepers get a lot of Stage 4 NREM and REM sleep, they may achieve higher alertness levels than those who do not practice the art of napping.
To be that obsessed with something signals a problem. Have they taken him to a psychiatrist?Newspeak said:I knew a person that lived on my dorm floor that lived for WOW. The only times I ever saw him when he was either playing WOW or going to the bathroom. He would consume almost 2X 12 packs of mountain dew(I am not exaggerating) every other day. He almost never spoke to anyone the whole year. He dropped out of college with a 0.4 GPA and is back at his parent's house still playing WOW.
There are mitigating factors, such as whether he was eating and drinking properly. Typically what does someone in in these situations is heart attack due to electrolyte imbalance.micahroy_08 said:i don't think someone would die after playing World of warcraft for only 35 hours... i have played for over 72 hours strait many times..
Sadly no. Friends and I have tried to have an intervention but he did not want anything to do with it.Evo said:To be that obsessed with something signals a problem. Have they taken him to a psychiatrist?
Death from lack of sleep, also known as fatal familial insomnia, is a rare and incurable genetic disorder that causes progressive sleeplessness and ultimately leads to death. It is a variant of the prion disease, which is a group of rare and fatal brain disorders.
While the exact amount of sleep deprivation that can lead to death may vary from person to person, it is generally believed that going without sleep for 10 days or more can result in death. However, this can also depend on other factors such as overall health and individual tolerance to sleep deprivation.
The initial symptoms of death from lack of sleep include difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, as well as excessive daytime sleepiness. As the disorder progresses, individuals may experience hallucinations, delirium, and eventually a complete inability to sleep, leading to death.
Unfortunately, there is currently no known cure for death from lack of sleep. Treatment options are limited and focus on managing the symptoms and improving the individual's quality of life. This may include medications to help with sleep and managing other symptoms like anxiety and depression.
While there is no way to prevent or cure death from lack of sleep, there are steps individuals can take to promote healthy sleep habits and reduce their risk. These include following a regular sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine and electronics before bedtime, and seeking treatment for any underlying sleep disorders.