A man named Oliver Alvis has claimed that he hasn’t been able to sleep in nearly two years.
The 32-year-old train driver had his first sleepless night in December 2023 and hasn’t slept since, according to The Daily Mail, which reported the case as a “medical mystery.”
Oliver said that his body is in constant emergency mode. “It’s not poor sleep. It’s the complete annihilation of sleep. I don’t fall asleep, I don’t fatigue,” the British man shared, describing his life as being “trapped in a waking nightmare.”
Highlights
- British train driver Oliver Alvis claims he has not slept since December 2023.
- Oliver has spent thousands of pounds, consulted dozens of doctors, and tried various medications.
- Neurologists note that true total insomnia defies medical understanding, as it’s been shown to be fatal in animals.
Oliver said he has spent the last 21 months of his life in “a slow, waking de*th.”
“I’m in a permanent state of alertness. Endless days turn into endless nights, and it’s torment. The lack of sleep not only causes exhaustion, but it crumbles the spirit,” he told The Daily Mail, as per Marca.
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Oliver shared that he has “begged” doctors, emailed specialists from around the world, and offered to pay for long-term observation, but no expert has been able to put an end to his misery.
“My pleas have gone unanswered,” he said.
Oliver has reportedly sold his house and has spent tens of thousands of pounds around the world seeking treatment.
He has undergone dozens of therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy, sound baths, acupuncture, and meditation retreats.
His first sleepless night occurred in December 2023, and since then, he says he has lived in a “permanent state of alertness”
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The man said he’s tried different types of medications, from benzodiazepines to opioids, and that none have worked. According to Oliver, even the strong anesthetics used to sedate patients before surgery had no effect on him.
He recalled that a doctor in Turkey told him, “You’re a very powerful man” after administering a strong sedative and finding that he remained awake.
His attempts to cure his insomnia have reportedly led him to seek remedies in Colombia, India, and across Europe, to no avail.
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“I've spent the last 21 months in a nightmare, struggling to survive in a body that seems to be on fire, burning from the inside,” he described.
“I feel like my eyes are melting. I can’t walk in a straight line. My eyesight is impaired. I can’t digest food properly. I can no longer relate to anyone. Nothing gives me pleasure or fun; not watching a movie, not eating, not reading a book.
“And day and night, I stay awake, not even sleepy, trapped in a mind that cannot rest, recover or reset.”
The 32-year-old expressed feeling “desperately alone” because he’s “the only person in the world who suffers like this.”
Oliver has reportedly sought help from doctors worldwide, spending tens of thousands of pounds
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Professor Guy Leschziner, one of the UK’s top neurologists, said the case defies medical understanding, as complete insomnia has been shown to be lethal in animals.
“In animal research, total sleep deprivation is lethal within weeks. While for ethical reasons we do not have very clear data from humans, dogs that are kept awake will invariably d*e within 17 days, and rats will also d*e within 32 days.”
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If someone goes 72 hours without sleep, they will become irritable, anxious, depressed, and might also start to hallucinate.
Oliver described severe physical and emotional deterioration, including impaired vision and the inability to walk straight
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The Cleveland Clinic notes that the longest recorded period that someone has gone without sleep is 11 days and 25 minutes. That someone was Randy Gardner, a 17-year-old who challenged himself to stay awake for as long as he could in 1963 as part of a science fair project.
"Dogs that are kept awake will invariably d*e within 17 days, and rats will also d*e within 32 days," said neurologist Guy Leschziner
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One possibility is that Oliver could be experiencing paradoxical insomnia, also known as sleep state misperception. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this occurs when someone feels like they have insomnia symptoms even though they’re getting a healthy amount of sleep.
However, Oliver insists that this doesn’t apply to his situation. “I have lost almost everything. The person I once was is gone. How can it be that something so natural, so essential as sleep, is completely taken away from me?” he said.
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“I can't take this torture much longer. I would give every last penny I've worked for just to be able to close my eyes and sleep.”
Appealing to any expert who might discover his case and help him, he said, “If you are a researcher, neuroscientist, sleep specialist or just someone who believes this could be real, please, I beg you to make it known.”
People shared their thoughts on Oliver’s extreme sleep deprivation case
