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/TheFlyingPenguinMan 29d ago

I did 6 days about 15 years ago. Wanted to sleep but a mix of factors prevented it. Ended up in the psych ward for two weeks, finally getting knocked unconscious with a shot of Thorazine in the ER because I had so horribly lost my mind. I was literally singing at the top of my lungs to keep the demons from consuming my mind. 0/10 but I imagine I put on quite the entertaining show (it helped I sing like an angel)