A UK man claims to have been in a permanent state of alertness for the past two years, after a mysterious condition has left him unable to fall asleep, even when under strong sedatives.
A couple of years ago, Oliver Alvis was leading a normal life, working as a train conductor and settling into a four-bedroom apartment he had recently bought, but everything changed one night when he couldn’t fall asleep at all. Little did he know that this would not be a one-time insomnia episode, but a two-year nightmare that continues to this day and makes life almost unbearable. Oliver describes the last 21 months as “struggling to survive in a body that seems to be on fire, burning from the inside,” adding that he has spent a fortune trying to figure out what is wrong with him, but doctors still don’t have an answer to give him.
Photo: Brad Starkey/Unsplash
“I don’t just have a lack of sleep; it’s the total disappearance of sleep,” Alvis told Mail Online. “I don’t feel sleepy. I don’t fall asleep. 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.”
“I have lost almost everything. The person I once was is gone,” the 32-year-old lamented. “How can it be that something so natural, so essential as sleep, is completely taken away from me? I used to wonder what pain could lead someone to wish for death. Now I understand. I don’t want to die, but 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.”
Because of his extreme sleep deprivation, Oliver cannot function properly. His muscles and bones are constantly sore, and he feels like he is constantly wearing an iron suit. His eyes allegedly feel like they are melting from his skull, and the constant pressure in his brain is almost unbearable. The 32-year-old claims that he cannot walk in a straight line anymore, his vision has become seriously impaired, and even his digestive process has been affected by the extreme insomnia.
Man who hasn’t slept for TWO YEARS: Train driver Oliver’s a medical mystery. Now he tells of horrifying condition that’s wrecked his health, how he lost everything… and why his eyes feel like they’re melting out of his skull https://t.co/ZC9L1OPrws
— Mail+ (@DailyMailUK) August 23, 2025
Desperate to solve the mystery of his permanent alertness, Oliver Alvis sold his new home, moved back in with his mother, and spent a small fortune traveling around the world to see doctors and try various remedies. He traveled to India, Italy, Türkiye, and Colombia and tried a number of therapies and drugs, even hallucinogenic herbs, but nothing and no one has been able to give him the peaceful sleep he has longed for over the last two years.
“I wander around at night, envious of the homeless who can sleep on the porches of shops. I would rather trade places with them, just to fall asleep – something I would trade all my possessions for,” Oliver said.
The 32-year-old claims that he was even put on strong sedatives by some doctors, but even those failed to render him unconscious. He is currently out of options and is asking any scientist or doctor who thinks they know what he is suffering from to help him.
Photo: Sander Sammy/Unsplash
Oliver’s case has gone viral online, sparking a heated debate between those who believe his claims and those who say that not getting any sleep for 2 years is biologically impossible. Although data on humans is insufficient due to ethical reasons, studies on animals have shown that “dogs that are kept awake will invariably die within 17 days, and rats will also die within 32 days.”
Some doctors suspected that Alvis suffered from paradoxical insomnia—a condition in which the patient thinks he is awake, even though his brain is still in light sleep – but even if this was to be confirmed in some way, it doesn’t ease the 32-year-old man’s pain, as he feels like he hasn’t slept in years.
