Man Who Stayed Awake for 264 Hours: He Didn’t Sleep for 11 Days, Made History

In 1964, students Randy Gardner and Bruce McAllister from San Diego, California, decided to test the limits of human voluntary sleep deprivation as part of a science fair project. Sleep researcher Dr. This experiment, conducted under the supervision of William C. Dement, allowed them to break the record for the longest time a person could go without sleep, and the results were quite remarkable.

17-year-old Randy Gardner broke the world record of the time by staying awake for 264 hours, or 11 days and 25 minutes. This striking experiment demonstrated both human endurance and the effects of sleep deprivation.
The experiment was conducted under the supervision of Dr. William Dement and Medical Officer Lieutenant Colonel John J. Ross. Researchers reported that Gardner began to experience various effects starting from the second day without sleep.
Gardner began to stumble over his words when tested with tongue twisters.
By the third day, mood swings, lack of concentration, short-term memory loss, He showed serious symptoms such as paranoia and hallucinations. Dement said Gardner was physically fit, adding, “We could get him moving by playing basketball or doing activities like bowling. But the moment he closed his eyes, he would fall asleep.”
After a 264.4-hour sleepless marathon, Gardner had a 14-hour deep sleep and said he didn’t feel tired when he woke up. However, years later, he told WBUR that he had trouble sleeping as an adult and that this was a result of the experiment.
Gardner’s record went down in history as a feat that tested the limits of the human body. But it also serves as a warning that sleep deprivation can have negative effects on physical and mental health.
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