On the occasion of the World Sleep Day of March 14, 2025 we retrace the history of the sleep deprivation record established by an American boy, Randy Gardnerwho did not sleep for 11 days, or 264 consecutive hours. The native American of San Diego – California was born in 1946 the year of the record was seventeen years old and today he is 78 years old. who managed to stay awake for over 11 days. Although his primacy has been beaten several times, Guinness has ceased to monitor this type of record for risks related to sleep deprivation (hallucinations, concentration and memory problemsAnd mood disorders) and to discover the microsonni. This decision highlights how essential sleep is for physiological well -being: during rest, the body regenerates, consolidating memory, modulating inflammation and maintaining hormonal, metabolic and cardiovascular balance. Its absence can lead to serious dysfunctions for the body. Just to raise awareness of the importance of sleep, since 2008 the World Sleep Dayan event promoted by World Sleep Society and, in Italy, fromItalian Sleep Medicine Academy (AIMS). The anniversary, established in 2008, falls on Friday before the spring equinox and has the purpose of spreading awareness of the benefits of a healthy and regular rest.
Randy Gardner’s sleep deprivation experiment and effects
In 1964, Randy Gardnera 17 -year -old boy, underwent an experiment to test the effects of sleep deprivation on humans and beat the record of Tom Roundsa 23 -year -old radio DJ, who in 1963 remained awake for 264 hours (10 days and 20 hours). Gardner managed to stay awake without the use of stimulants, drinking only Coca-Cola, listening to high volume music and making cold showers. Since previous experiments, such as that of Peter Tripp In the 1950s, they had shown significant side effects, Gardner was monitored by Dr. William Dementthe same doctor who had followed Tripp, as a precautionary measure.
Randy remained awake for 264.4 hours (11 days and 24 minutes), he remained active playing basketball and spending time in a games room in which he also won flipper games. Despite the temporary effects as a difficulty concentration, memory and motor control, Dr. Dement’s analyzes showed an apparently stable mind by portraying the hypothesis that sleep deprivation inevitably leads to psychosis. However, according to what reported by Dr. John Rossthe doctor who observed Gardner before the arrival of dr. Dement, after the second day his concentration began to decrease and after the fourth the protagonist of the experiment began to demonstrate bad mood, disorientation, hallucinations And delusions.
After the record, Gardner slept 14 hours and 46 minutesthen he remained awake until the following evening, when he slept others 10 and a half hours. Studies on his recovery did not detect lasting effects, with 1, 6, 10 weeks analyzes that showed no significant differences in sleep. Although he did not report long -term damage, decades after Gardner developed insomniathat he stressed he attributed more to personal causes than to the record itself.
I stopped sleeping. I couldn’t sleep. I was in bed for five, six hours, I slept maybe 15 minutes and I woke up again. I kept thinking, well, this will go – this will change because it seems to me that in the end, if you don’t sleep enough, your body will simply say, let’s go to sleep. But it never happened.
Sleep deprivation record subsequent to Randy Gardner
Two weeks after Randy Gardner’s record, Jim Thomas he exceeded his predecessor remaining awake for 266 hours And 30 minutes. A few days later, a Finnish, Toimi Arttturinpoika Silvoestablished the new primacy with 276 hours. Despite these attempts to beat the record, the details on the side effects suffered by subsequent holders are poor and not very documented. However, the continuous search for the human limit has led to subsequent increasingly extreme attempts.
In the 1974, Roger Guy English he established the record remaining awake for 288 hours (12 days) in an exhibition room of water beds, using only coffee as a stimulant. As reported by the Guinness Roger primates during the attempt suffered hallucinations, a well -known side effect for sleep deprivation.
In the 1977, Maureen Weston he beat the record with an impressive time of 449 hours (18 days And 17 hours), participating in a marathon in a rocking chair. Although he had expressed hallucinations towards the end of the attempt, surprisingly did not report lasting effects in the long run.
In the 1986, Robert McDonald passed the record with 453 hours And 40 minutes (18 days, 21 hours And 40 minutes). Towards the end of his attempt, McDonald reported Difficulty eating And memory problemsbut, despite this, it does not seem to have suffered from long -term consequences. He continued to live a normal life, suggesting that, even in extreme cases, the mind and body can recover from these temporary shocks.
Stop sleep deprivation records: Guinness World Record’s reasons
The Guinness World Records has stopped monitoring primates related to sleep deprivation due to serious health risks, including hallucinations, concentration and memory problemsAnd mood disorders. Furthermore, the difficulty in detecting these records precisely has increased with the discovery of microsonni: short episodes of involuntary sleep, often imperceptible, which can also occur during attempts at extreme deprivation.
THE microsonni They last a few seconds and are mainly manifested in states of strong tiredness, especially during monotonal activities such as guiding or working. They are dangerous because they reduce attention, decision -making capacity and coordination, increasing the risk of accidents. The main causes are the sleep deprivation And some medical conditions.
A regular and quality rest is fundamental for the well -being of the body, influencing memory, metabolism, immune system and emotional balance.
