What should I do if I stay awake for days without getting any sleep?

This question was asked in Crossville, Tennessee on 07/13/2012.
I can stay awake for days on end and get a few hours of sleep and be awake again without any sleep for days. As a result, my mind races, my body is worn out, but my mind doesn't seem to want to let me sleep I have been up for 3 days with NO sleep at all. There has to be something someone can do to help. I am emotionally drained.

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Doctors Answers (3)

Farhad Sigari, MD, FACS
Answered on: 7/27/2012

I recommend evaluation by your primary MD as soon as possible. These symptoms appear not related to sleep but by a mood imbalance.

Richard J. Schumann Jr., MD
Answered on: 7/17/2012

You certainly sound as though you have chronic insomnia or possibly a mood disorder or both. You should seek treatment for these disorders through your primary MD or possibly a psychiatrist to help you in the near term s well as long term.

J. Douglas Hudson, MD, DABSM
Answered on: 7/16/2012

Staying awake for days without sleep may be insomnia or part of a disorder associated with chronic wakefulness (bipolar state, for example) Generally, a sleep specialist can get anyone to sleep but that is not enough. It must be good sleep with normal stages of sleep. Mind racing is common when unable to sleep. In combination with medication, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which encompasses techniques such as biofeedback, imaging and other methods of relaxation is generally considered the best treatment for insomnia. A sleep specialist is in the best position to make a diagnosis and make recommendations for treatment.