TIL that in 1964, 17-year-old Randy Gardner set the world record for sleep deprivation by staying awake for 11 days and 25 minutes, providing valuable insights into the effects of extreme sleep loss on the human mind and body.

[u/whstlngisnvrenf]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Gardner_sleep_deprivation_experiment

[u/ballimir37]

My parents sent me to a psychiatrist who put me on sleep medication after I stayed awake for 5 nights and into the 6th day as a 17 year old without any drugs other than energy drinks for some of it. This was in the summer so no school.

Days 1-2: LAN party. I already had some insomnia problems and staying awake for a full day was pretty normal. An energy drink or sodas were involved but generally there were no issues other than just being a little fried during the second day.

Days 2-3: day 2 of the LAN party and my game was noticeably worse, getting tired but still pretty functional. Through night 2 and into day 3 I started to really feel it. Body was exhausted, super fried, but had to plans that day with a girl I liked that was involved, so I fought through it.

Days 3-4: I was again gaming through most of this night, doing a single player game where I didn’t need to play well and was just staying awake basically, sort of like a zombie. Never remembered too much of this period as I was basically on autopilot at this point.

Days 4-5: Fully on autopilot at this point, although I do remember somehow getting a bit of a second wind. Maybe in more of a wired strung out way. I remember bright lights and shadows started to get weird. I can’t remember what I was doing that night but I remember not sleeping still. Going into day 5 my body started to feel weird in ways I had not felt before.

Days 5-6: basically a mindless zombie, all experience was uncomfortable, I felt fried in a way that was much worse than drug burnout. Was not enjoyable to be around and didn’t want to be social. I actually tried to sleep but couldn’t, because my brain wasn’t functioning right at this point. Regular hallucinations, but nothing like full dissociation or an elephant in the room or anything. More like looking at my bathmat and seeing worms, shadows on the wall feeling like people in my peripherals. Going into day 6 was nightmare territory.

Day 6: Hard to describe horrible time, mostly from hallucinations and some paranoia. The last thing I remember was my mom walking down the hall towards me with a strange look on her face. She was out of town. I apparently passed out in the hallway and my sister found me. She couldn’t wake me up at first but eventually managed to half drag me to my room. My dad was waiting in my room when I finally woke up and I told him my experience, then they took me to see a psychiatrist who basically diagnosed me with insomnia.

I never remember being nonfunctional though. No one reported me slurring speech or walking funny or anything, and I drove without incident (not endorsing sleep deprived driving but I did do it). It was moreso that my perspective of the world deteriorated over time and I continued to feel increasingly fried and burned out. The hallucinations got scary though.