This classic riddle asks: A man went 22 days without sleep. How did he survive? The wording makes it sound as though he stayed awake continuously for more than three weeks.
The answer is: he slept at night.
The riddle only says he went 22 days without sleep. It never says he went 22 days and nights without sleeping. He could stay awake during each day and then sleep normally every night.
The trick is the very specific use of the word “days.” Most people automatically interpret it as a continuous 24-hour period, but the riddle is using “day” to mean daytime.
Once you notice that distinction, there is nothing impossible about the situation at all.
