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Can You Die of Insomnia?

insomniaRahav Segev for The New York Times

Lack of sleep can make getting through the day a challenge and is increasingly tied to a host of medical problems. But can insomnia actually prove fatal? That was among the hundreds of questions recently posed by readers of the Consults blog at “Ask an Expert: Overcoming Insomnia.”


Can you die from lack of sleep? It seems to me that there is a lot of misinformation out there about the consequences of lack of sleep; some people greatly exaggerate the negatives of lack of sleep, while others seem to say that nothing negative will happen.
Ben, Grand Junction, Colo.



Fear of dying from lack of sleep is a common worry of many insomnia patients. Research performed in rats in 1989 showed that complete sleep deprivation for two to three weeks caused the rats to die. The longest medically documented period that anyone has gone without sleep was Randy Gardner, a 17-year-old high school student in San Diego who stayed awake in 1964 for 11 days during a dance competition. He did not suffer any ill effects except sleepiness; following the dance, he slept for 14 hours and completely recovered.

These examples, however, are of sleep deprivation, which is very different from insomnia. It is very unusual for someone to have complete absence of sleep for more than a few days because of insomnia.

There is an extremely rare genetic disorder known as fatal familial insomnia, or F.F.I., which has caused undue concern for many who suffer from poor sleep. The condition has been identified in some 40 families across the world, affecting only about 100 people. It leads to panic, anxiety, hallucinations, rapid weight loss, complete sleep loss, dementia and eventually death. The disorder is due to a neurological degeneration of the brain and is linked to a rare abnormal protein called a prion. Fatal familial insomnia begins in midlife and progresses to death within one to two years.

Remember, though, that fatal familial insomnia is extremely rare, and unless a family member died of insomnia you are not likely to have any predisposition to this disorder.

For the vast majority of people, chronic insomnia will not directly lead to death. But a lack of sleep can put you at a greater risk for developing other serious medical conditions that do have increased mortality.

Consistently sleeping less than six hours a night has been linked to impairments in cognitive functioning, specifically a loss of concentration, memory and hand-eye coordination. Patients with chronic insomnia report problems performing daily tasks and often have increased absenteeism from work and school, and poor sleep has been linked to increased motor vehicle and workplace accidents.

Studies have shown that people with insomnia also have a greater risk of developing depression or anxiety disorders. Insomnia is likewise linked to increased risks for heart disease and hypertension, as well as increases the risk for obesity, diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer and headaches.

As a result, treatment is critical for those with chronic insomnia. It’s also important to stop worrying that you might die of it, as this will only serve to worsen your sleep.

For more information, see Dr. Thorpy and Dr. Harris’s previous responses in the Related Posts section, below, and visit The Times Health Guide: Insomnia.