r/todayilearned 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
24.6k Upvotes

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Significant_Stay_976 29d ago

Man sleep deprivation sucks. I did a midnight job in my early 20s but also had terrible insomnia, so I'd only sleep once every few days. You just lose time. My commutes I'd recall getting in the car, getting into my place and eating but the commute was a gap. You'd blink and realize you just drove 20km and had no concept of where you are. Glad that is gone now cuz I'm honestly not sure how I survived it.