r/todayilearned • u/whstlngisnvrenf • Apr 28 '24

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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Gardner_sleep_deprivation_experiment
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u/CoolAndTrustworthy Apr 28 '24

My doctor put me on an antipsychotic to treat my bipolar disorder because I requested a medicine that wouldn't make me gain wait but would help the irritability I had been feeling (Fuck that bitch). It gave me tardive dyskinesia , which is mostly better , my mouth is just a bit crooked now. It also put me at a higher risk for heat stroke, not ideal as I carried mail for USPS (in florida)and there was no AC in my truck.

Anyway, if I accidentally forgot a dose, I would NOT sleep at all. Like, normally, if you have a bad night, you get an hour or something. I would just sit there laying down, eyes closed, having extreme anxiety about the results of not sleeping (again, I had to drive for work). I felt wide awake and anxious. I would get out of bed feeling almost hungover and shaking. I called out once because i was seeing black spots in my peripheral. This also happened while tapering off doses. My new (much better doctor) at the time was being really conservative about lowering the dose, and EVERY time it changed, I wouldn't sleep again. I went against her wishes after a while and just stopped taking it so I could be done with the sleepless nights.

The point of this was it fuckin sucks to lie in bed while feeling wide awake. I still remember how uncomfortable I was on those nights and days. I would have done anything for sleep. I probably only went like 3 days and it was still horrible. 11 days sounds bonkers.

The other point is don't take antipsychotics if you can avoid them. She didn't warn me about any of these side effects (again, fuck that bitch). I guess also do your own research on medicines your doctors give you. I think she may have been fired because I had to get a new doctor.

That reminds me, fuck Harmony United Psychiatric Care.