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This article from Time Motto makes the claim that sleep deprivation will result in faster death than starvation.

In the long run, work is not more important than sleep. If you aren’t sure how important sleep is, think about this: You’ll die faster without sleep than you will without food.

However, the article linked to did not make any claims about dying, and instead discusses the drawbacks of sleep deprivation.

A similar Quora question also discusses the topic, but the answers are either poorly sourced or contradictory.

Is it true that sleep deprivation will kill you faster than starvation?

March Ho
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  • It's a science fiction novel, but if you're interested in insomnia you might like Kenneth Calhoun's [*Black Moon.*](http://www.amazon.com/Black-Moon-Novel-Kenneth-Calhoun/dp/0804137161#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1460846862475) – Joe L. Apr 16 '16 at 22:51
  • sleep deprivation could lead to death from an accident, or not being "with it" enough to find food/water. – Ian Ringrose Apr 18 '16 at 13:37

1 Answers1

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Not according to current evidence

As long as you drink water and have some basic vitamins, you can survive without eating for a very long time. For example, look at the case of Angus Barbieri, who did not eat for 382 days, more than a year:

A 27-year-old male patient fasted under supervision for 382 days and has subsequently maintained his normal weight

news, case study

On the other hand, this expert opinion on Scientific American, claims that sleep deprivation isn't known to kill people at all.

I am unaware of any reports that sleep deprivation per se has killed any human (excluding accidents and so forth).

Sklivvz
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    Unless you suffer from any of the very rare medical conditions actually preventing you from sleeping, wouldn't you at some point after staying awake for a prolonged time involuntarily fall asleep long before the onset of any critical medical consequences making it impossible to stay awake until you die from sleep deprivation just as you can't hold your breath until you die from suffocation? – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo Apr 16 '16 at 12:25
  • @Tor-EinarJarnbjo the expert opinion addresses that, even with medical conditions which prevent sleep, people don't die, but reach a different equilibrium. – Sklivvz Apr 16 '16 at 13:13
  • Sure of that? **Fatal** Familial Insomnia comes to mind. – Loren Pechtel Apr 16 '16 at 18:32
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    @LorenPechtel from the article: "Another rare disorder, Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI), is an autosomal dominate disease that is invariably fatal after about six to 30 months without sleep. FFI is probably misnamed because death results from multiple organ failure rather than sleep deprivation. " – Sklivvz Apr 16 '16 at 20:02
  • "I am unaware of any reports that sleep deprivation per se has killed any human" I suspect that "sleep deprivation" may not be regarded as a proper cause of death, the same way that old age isn't: which would mean that one doesn't die of sleep deprivation, but one may die of an accident caused by being cognitively impaired of the sleep deprivation, or of an infection because sleep deprivation weakened the immune system etc. – cbeleites unhappy with SX Apr 18 '16 at 20:19
  • @Tor-EinarJarnbjo: "fall asleep long before the onset of any critical medical consequences" that will depend a lot on how you define "critical medical consequences". It is easily possible to get to sleep deprivation where the immune system noticeably suffers (IMHE). Personally, I'd count it as serious medical consequence if 1 in 7 fatal accidents involves a driver who admits having been drowsy (see http://newsroom.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/AAAFoundation-DrowsyDriving-Nov2014.pdf). Excluding accidents may make studies easy/feasible, but also severely limits possible conclusions. – cbeleites unhappy with SX Apr 18 '16 at 20:56
  • Maybe if someone conducted the same protocol (used on rats or [cats](http://sommeil.univ-lyon1.fr/articles/jouvet/picps_65/)) on humans, it would kill these people. I'm not sure that the people mentioned in your last links never slept, were they constantly monitored? – A.L Apr 23 '16 at 21:56