World record without sleep: how many people can stay awake and what are the consequences?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

Sleep is the most important physiological process, without which the human body will not be able to restore strength and function normally. However, not everyone manages to devote the required 8 hours to it, a dynamic life flies forward, and in order to be in time, a good rest often has to be sacrificed. There are also people who decided on a bold experiment, managed to test their abilities and set a world record for a person without sleep. We invite you to get acquainted with them, as well as learn about the consequences of prolonged insomnia.

Average

Consider how long an average person can stay awake without significant he alth damage. The number of days is from 7 to 11, however, it is necessary to lead a sedentary lifestyle. Studies have been conducted that have studied the effect of insomnia on humans:

• 24 hours. This state is familiar to many, since often the preparation for exams takes place on the last night, andprojects are completed a day before the presentation. A person without problems experiences 24 hours of insomnia, he is characterized only by a somewhat inhibited reaction and small changes characteristic of mild alcohol intoxication. If necessary, in critical situations, the ability to focus and hold attention is maintained.
• 36 hours. A person experiences discomfort, weakness, he does not want to do anything. Headaches may occur.
• 48 hours. The lack of sleep is compensated by special conditions called “microsleeps”: a person falls asleep for 30 seconds without noticing, after which he wakes up, and disorientation is observed. This condition is dangerous when driving and working with serious mechanisms.
• 72 hours. Thinking and memory are noticeably disturbed, a person feels very tired, hallucinations and delusions can be observed.
• 4-5 days. Brain cells start to break down, hallucinations get worse.
• 6-8 days. Memory deteriorates, tremors appear in the limbs, a person has difficulty with the simplest actions.

If you do not sleep for a longer period, the outcome can even be fatal.

Experiments on animals

Before considering the world record without sleep in humans, let's get acquainted with the experiments on rats, which were carried out by American researchers in the 90s of the last century. They kept the rodents awake using electric shocks. As a result, even the most persistent test subjects died after11 days. True, there is no need to speak about the reliability of the experiment, since the cause of the death of rats could be the current itself, constantly passing through their bodies.

Medical Cases

There are quite a few shocking world records for no sleep caused by illness. Consider the most famous case, the story of Michael Cork, an ordinary American music teacher who, at the age of 40, realized that his brain could not shut down and go to sleep. The reason for such a strange phenomenon is a rare hereditary disease. One of the teacher's genes stopped encoding the necessary protein, which disrupted the functioning of the thalamus, the part of the brain responsible for the sleep and wake cycles.

As a result, Michael Cork lost the ability to sleep with all the ensuing consequences: hallucinations, memory loss, delirium, physical exhaustion, which eventually resulted in dementia. Doctors tried to help the man by introducing him into an artificial coma, but all efforts were in vain, and after 6 months of insomnia, he died.

The very best

Decided not to sleep for a world record, Randy Gardner managed to prove that prolonged sleep deprivation will not have a total impact on the human body. The young man was only 18 years old when he decided to get into the record book and not sleep for more than 10 days.

The documented record is 264.3 hours. At the same time, the young man did not use any stimulants, coffee, energy drinks, but for cleanlinessexperiment and the absence of violations were observed by researchers at Stanford University. Lieutenant Colonel John Ross, whose task it was to monitor Randy's he alth, noted that the young man, during the period of continuous wakefulness, periodically experienced memory problems, hallucinations, forgot what he was doing, was distracted and dejected. So, on the 4th day of the experiment, he confused a road sign with a person.

However, after his 11-day sleepless state, the young man was able to take part in the press conference and reasonably, without hesitation, answer the questions posed. Interestingly, after this incident, representatives of the book of records reported that in the future, achievements related to the refusal of sleep will not be recorded as life-threatening.

Previous result

Let's continue our review of world records without sleep. Randy Gardner, the absolute record holder, broke another shocking result - 260 hours without sleep. It belongs to Tom Rounds, a resident of Honolulu, to whom the experiment on himself "gave" hallucinations of nightmarish content, memory loss and a paranoid state. In addition, disc jockey Peter Tripp, who not only did not sleep for more than 200 hours, but also worked during this time, should also be included among the “winners”.

As a result, Tripp began to see scary pictures, instead of people he saw monsters, but the state passed after a good rest.

Experiments in the USSR

Of course, to world records without sleep,set voluntarily, these shocking experiments are not directly related, but they are the best illustration of the capabilities of the human body. So, in the 1940s, prisoners of the Gulag, who were considered enemies of the people, were subjected to a terrifying experiment - people had to completely give up sleep. For 30 days of being awake, freedom was promised.

It is known that no one could last the required time, and those who did not sleep for more than 10 days began to go crazy. True, some are still convinced that such a state in prisoners was caused not so much by sleep deprivation as by being in a confined space.

We got acquainted with the Guinness record without sleep and other unusual stories associated with the rejection of proper rest. At the moment, the issue has not been studied enough, we do not know how long a person can stay awake and how prolonged wakefulness will affect his he alth.