Skipping one night of sleep just requires that you have something to do that's more interesting than sleep. Once you've made it past your circadian rhythm low, and it starts to pick back up again (around 8am), which keeps your alertness high enough to stay awake until your circadian rhythm takes another plunge (in the afternoon or the following night). When I did this in high school, I could only skip one night before my body demanded sleep.
3 days in a row is very excessive. I wouldn't suppose that he's telling the truth. There's a certain cult-like appeal to defeating the need to sleep. It's fun to brag over skipping nights of sleep, so many people keep that afternoon crash-nap they took a secret.
Lastly, I bet genetics plays a large role in your ability to forego sleep. |