The Shocking Truth: 5 Most Extreme Cases Of The Longest Time Someone Has Slept

As of December 2025, the question "what is the longest time someone has slept" does not have a single, simple answer—it depends entirely on the definition of "sleep." The official, medically verified record for a continuous, non-comatose sleep episode belongs to a young boy in a case that baffled doctors, but the absolute longest period a person has spent in a sleep-like state stretches into months, even years, due to rare neurological disorders and unresponsive states.

The human body is remarkably resilient, but prolonged sleep beyond the normal 7–9 hours is not a sign of rest; it is a profound medical anomaly. The cases documented below move far beyond the typical nap, highlighting the extreme and often terrifying limits of human physiology and the complex nature of our relationship with rest.

The Extreme Chronology of Human Sleep Records

To accurately answer the question of the longest sleep, we must categorize the records into distinct clinical and historical events. These are the most extreme, verified, and widely reported cases of prolonged human sleep or sleep-like states.

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• The Longest Medically Verified, Single Sleep Episode (Non-Chronic): 11 Days
• The Longest Sleep Due to a Chronic Disorder (KLS): 64 Days
• The Longest Unresponsive State (Coma): 29 Years (with recovery)
• The Longest Hypnotic Sleep: 8 Days
• The Longest Sleep Deprivation Recovery Sleep: 14 Hours

1. The Medical Mystery: The 11-Day Sleep of Wyatt Shaw

The most widely cited and medically verified case of an unexplained, prolonged continuous sleep belongs to a young boy named Wyatt Shaw. In October 2017, the seven-year-old from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, fell asleep and did not wake up for 11 consecutive days.

Wyatt’s parents rushed him to Norton Children’s Hospital, where doctors were completely baffled. He was not in a coma; he could be roused to eat and use the bathroom, but he would immediately fall back into a deep, unresponsive sleep. Doctors ran numerous tests, including monitoring his brain activity, but found no conclusive explanation for the episode, which was eventually labeled a medical mystery. This 11-day stretch is frequently referenced in sleep medicine as the longest known single, non-chronic episode of prolonged sleep in a person who was otherwise healthy before the event.

2. The Chronic Disorder: The 64-Day Sleep of Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS)

When considering sleep caused by a diagnosed, recurring condition, the record dramatically increases. Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS), often nicknamed "Sleeping Beauty Syndrome," is a rare neurological disorder characterized by recurring episodes of excessive sleep (hypersomnolence), altered behavior, and reduced understanding of the world.

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One of the most extreme documented cases of KLS involves a woman named Nicole Delien from Pennsylvania. Her longest recorded episode of sleep was an astonishing 64 days, stretching from Thanksgiving through January. During these episodes, KLS sufferers are not in a typical coma; they can be temporarily awakened to eat and drink, but they are often confused, irritable, and quickly fall back into a deep slumber. The duration and frequency of these sleep episodes can vary wildly, with some patients experiencing them for days or weeks at a time, sometimes multiple times a year. This condition represents the absolute longest time a person has been in a state clinically defined as pathological sleep.

3. The Unresponsive State: Comas and Decades of Unconsciousness

It is critical to distinguish between "sleep" and an "unresponsive state" like a coma. A coma is a state of deep unconsciousness where a person cannot be awakened, does not respond to pain, light, or sound, and lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle. These states are not considered true sleep.

However, if the question is interpreted as the longest period of human unresponsiveness, the duration extends to decades. While most comas last only a few weeks, some rare cases have persisted for years. The case of Annie Shapiro is one of the most famous examples of recovery. She was in a coma for 29 years following a massive stroke before suddenly awakening in 1992. Other cases, such as a patient who remained in an unresponsive state for 37 years, exist, though recovery is not always achieved. These cases, while not "sleep," represent the ultimate extreme of human unconsciousness.

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4. Other Long Sleep Anomalies and Historical Claims

Beyond the primary medical records, several other cases have been documented that highlight the complexity of the "longest sleep" question:

Idiopathic Hypersomnia (IH)

This is a rare neurological disorder that causes excessive daytime sleepiness and/or prolonged, undisturbed nocturnal sleep. People with IH often experience "sleep inertia," a profound difficulty waking up that can last for hours. While IH does not typically result in continuous, multi-week sleep episodes like KLS, it is characterized by an abnormal need for extended rest, with sufferers often sleeping 10 to 12 hours or more per night, with unrefreshing naps during the day.

The Hypnotic Sleep Record

In 1959, a UK hypnotist named Peter Powers claimed the record for the longest time asleep without waking by putting himself into a hypnotic state for 8 days straight. This record is considered separate from natural or pathological sleep, as it involved hypnotic induction, and the full clinical verification is often debated.

The Sleep Deprivation Recovery Sleep

A common point of confusion is the link between the longest time awake and the subsequent recovery sleep. The most famous sleep deprivation case is that of Randy Gardner, who stayed awake for 11 days and 24 minutes (264.4 hours) in 1964 for a science fair project. After this extreme period of wakefulness, Gardner’s recovery sleep was surprisingly short: he slept for only about 14 hours on the first night, followed by 10.5 hours on the second night, and returned to a normal sleep schedule shortly thereafter. This demonstrates that even after nearly two weeks awake, the body does not require a proportional recovery period.

The Science Behind Extreme Hypersomnia

Prolonged sleep, or hypersomnia, is a symptom of a deeper neurological issue, not a chosen state. The underlying mechanisms are complex and involve dysfunction in the central nervous system, particularly the regions of the brain that regulate the sleep-wake cycle.

• Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS): The cause is unknown, but it is thought to be related to a disorder of the hypothalamus, the brain region that controls appetite, body temperature, and sleep. The episodes are often triggered by an infection, flu-like illness, or physical exertion.
• Idiopathic Hypersomnia (IH): "Idiopathic" means the cause is unknown. Researchers suspect it may involve a problem with the neurochemicals in the brain that promote wakefulness or a buildup of a sleep-inducing substance.
• Coma: This state is typically caused by a severe brain injury, such as a traumatic blow, stroke, lack of oxygen, or severe infection, which results in widespread damage to the brain stem or cerebral hemispheres.

These cases are extremely rare, affecting perhaps one in a million people, and they underscore the delicate balance required for normal human sleep. The longest time someone has slept is not a record to be sought, but a profound medical condition that drastically alters the life of the individual and their family.