One of the most important things we can do for our health is sleep. Not only that, but it’s (mostly) pretty enjoyable. Whether you get your recommended 7-9 hours per night, or you run on a lot less, chances are you sleep for at least a bit every night.
Recently, Redditors discovered that one man tried staying up for as long as humanly possible. The man’s name is Randy Gardner, who at 17 years old in 1964, stayed up for 11 days and 25 minutes. A user by the name of Xeoft shared the record with the Damn That’s Interesting Community earlier today.
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The User Shared An Image Of Gardner, Who Was Seemingly Being Fed At The Time.
The user shares that, at the end of 1963 and the beginning of 1964, Gardner stayed awake in an attempt to set the record and to see how long he could stay awake without sleeping. 59 years later, this remains the longest time without sleep officially recognized by Guinness World Records.
Other Reddit Users Reacted To The News.
Of course, some commenters didn’t take the post super seriously. Some wondered why Gardner was being handfed in the image, which sparked a number of jokes from different users.
Others, Meanwhile, Had Serious Questions About Gardner’s Accomplishment.
User Xeoft provided more information in the comments, stating that Gardner ended up sleeping for 14 hours after he broke the record.
The user also shared an article from BBC Future that discusses the event in more detail.
According To The Article, Gardner And A Friend Set This Up As A Science Fair Experiment.
Gardner and his friend, Bruce McAllister, decided to try this out as an experiment, to see what extreme sleep deprivation would do to the body. Gardner ended up being the test subject after losing a coin toss, and they later roped Joe Marciano in to help with observations.
Later, William Dement, a researcher from Stanford University, arrived to observe the experiment, and it gained momentum from there.
Users Wondered If Drugs Were Used To Keep Gardner Awake.
According to Xeoft, Gardner didn’t use any drugs to stay awake. The user also stated that Guinness stopped recognizing the record shortly after Gardner set it, as sleep deprivation to that level can be deadly. Luckily, though, Gardner is actually still alive and is in his 70s today.
Dement, The Researcher Who Became Involved, Was A Sleep Researcher.
In the BBC Future interview, Dement said that there was a lack of sleep research at the time and that Gardner’s parents were worried for their son’s wellbeing. “Because the question was still unresolved on whether or not if you go without sleep long enough you will die,” he said.
Around This Time, The Experiment Gained A Lot Of Media Attention.
This happened shortly after the Kennedy assassination but managed to capture tons of attention as well.
According to McAllister, Gardner was taken to a naval hospital so his brainwaves could be monitored. They apparently found that he had much higher than normal levels of REM during his first sleep, but it dropped back to normal levels afterward.
Amazingly, Gardner Suffered No Serious Side Effects After Staying Awake For 11 Days.
Though, as Reddit commenters pointed out, he did end up suffering from insomnia for years afterward.
While The Experiment Is Important, It’s Also Important To Not Try And Repeat Gardner’s Success.
Sleep is important, and sleep deprivation can have serious health effects. If anything, Gardner’s world record achievement just shows why it’s important to sleep a regular amount each night!
