• Question: How long can the average person stay awake before falling asleep?

    Asked by anon-188905 to Rachel, Yousef on 6 Nov 2018. This question was also asked by anon-194103.
    • Photo: Rachel Sharman

      Rachel Sharman answered on 6 Nov 2018:

      Great question! This is quite tricky as it depends on the person and the circumstances!

      A good, typical sleeper, we would expect to fall asleep somewhere between 5 and 20 minutes after deciding to try and sleep. Over 30 minutes is thought to be too long and could be a result of caffeine or maybe that the person has insomnia (if it happens frequently).

      When I used to test medications and sleep, if I had given someone a sedative (a sleeping pill), then I would want them to fall asleep much quicker!

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