In 1963, a Teenager Went 11 Days Without Sleep For a Science Medal — But Paid a Lifelong Price For It
Sleep is possibly one of the most essential and non-negotiable in life of a human being. The step is deemed vital for keeping the human body in a proper condition, according to LADbible. Going even one day without it could be a task; therefore, when an individual managed to go eleven days without any sleep in 1963, the world took notice. It was featured in the Guinness World Records and allegedly left the person named Randy Gardner reeling with several issues. Gardner was just 17 years old when he completed this peculiar exercise.
To complete the unbeatable feat, he asked for the help of two friends, Bruce McAllister and Joe Marciano Jr., and a local expert, Dr. Sleep. The trio devised the plan to win first prize at a science fair. Gardner decided to keep himself busy with activities, such as mental tests, taking hot and cold showers, playing pinball, and constant loud music to complete the exercise. Soon, the pursuit garnered media attention, including that of Guinness World Records. However, within three days, the side effects started to show up. In the trio, Gardner was chosen as the "guinea pig" for the experiment due to the results of a coin flip, according to the Daily Mail.
After 72 hours, the San Diego teenager began to experience concentration problems, periods of paranoia, moodiness, and hallucinations, as well as short-term memory loss. Guinness World Records deemed the entire affair dangerous and refused to monitor it after one point. Gardner was also exhausted and did not want to go on, but the attention stopped him from pulling out. "About the fourth or fifth day, I was like-are you kidding me, this is hard," he said in an interview with Guinness World Records. "By then, it had gotten out to the newspapers, and the wire services picked it up, and it was too late; I couldn't back out."
Initially, Gardner and his friends aimed for the experiment for 260 hours, the record previously achieved by Honolulu DJ Tom Rounds in 1959. Eventually, the experiment stretched for around four more hours, extending the duration to exactly 11 days and 25 minutes. Dr. Sleep, aka William Dement, a sleep researcher at Stanford University, joined the boys after eight days. The expert kept records of Gardner's physical and mental well-being. As part of one of his assessments, the sleep researcher challenged Gardner to games of pinball, which, even in his weary state, he managed to win.
The success, though, did not reflect his well-being. Dr. Dement also took Gardner out to further understand the consequences of such strenuous activity. By the end of the experiment, Gardner's issues had compounded with more memory loss, slurred speech, trouble with coordination, and hallucinations. After being awake for around 11 days, he fell asleep at the Naval Hospital in San Diego. A team under the observation of Dr. Dement monitored his vitals, like temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, brain waves, and muscle activity. Despite undergoing such a rigorous experiment, he appeared to be fine and reportedly returned to his normal sleep schedule.
In his interview, though, Gardner, now 67, claimed differently. He shared that throughout his adult life, he suffered from unbearable insomnia, which he believes is linked to this uncanny experiment. In 1963, Gardner was deemed the record holder of going without any sleep for the longest period. Later on, it was breached multiple times. In 1997, Guinness World Records stopped accepting applications for this feat, citing safety reasons. At that time, the record holder was Robert McDonald, who had reportedly gone 18 days and 21 hours without any sleep.