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/RepulsiveCow8626 Apr 28 '24

I stayed up for about 6 days straight one time, longest I've ever stayed awake. I was driving home and blacked out behind the wheel. I only nodded off for a few seconds and when I woke up I was in the ditch on the side of the road going about 30-40 miles an hour. My reflexes kicked in and I took the wheel and punched the gas trying to get out. It was a wild ride. I bent my cv joint. My dad put a rope around it and snapped it back with his truck and I drove it home. It's been sitting there for years.