sleep – In 1963, a teenager took part in a sleep deprivation experiment. He went eleven days without sleeping.
On the occasion of the publication of Pablo Barrecheguren’s book, Why do we dream? : And other great questions about sleep and sleepthe newspaper The country looked back at a sleep deprivation experiment conducted in the United States in 1963. A teenager had gone without sleep for eleven days.
The experiment was set up by two teenagers: Randy Gardner and Bruce McAllister. During the Christmas holidays, the two boys wondered how long a human being could live without sleeping. Having no scientific training, the teenagers were joined in their project by a researcher, William Dement, from Stanford University.
Hallucinations and memory loss
The scientist’s role was to monitor young Randy, who was chosen to carry out this experiment. Throughout the study, the guinea pig was kept awake by other people who made him do several sports activities. During the first two days, the teenager suffered no side effects. But on the third day, he began to have hallucinations.
“There were no more highs, only lows. It was as if someone was sanding down my brain. My body was dragging and my mind was breaking,” the young man confided as his general condition deteriorated (…) Read more on 20minutes
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