How many days can a person live without sleep?

Though the question is more complex than it appears, a person typically cannot die as a direct result from a lack of sleep. This is because humans will drift into a microsleep, even under cases of extreme sleep deprivation, which is enough to keep them alive.

One incredibly rare sleep disorder, affecting only a handful of people each year, entirely prevents sleep, including microsleep. This disease, called fatal insomnia, results in death between a few months to a few years.

When it comes to staying awake willingly, many world record attempts end between 8 and 11 days.