In 1963, Randy Gardner and Bruce McAllister, two students from Stanford (United States), carried out a historic experiment during their Christmas holidays. Their goal was to find out how long a human could go without sleeping. Randomly chosen to be the guinea pig, Randy Gardner ended up staying awake for 11 days and 25 minutes. Our colleagues at El País recently returned to this record.
Physical activities and cognitive tests
“It’s like someone ran sandpaper over my brain. My body is crawling and my mind is broken,” Randy Gardner described this after the third day. At the time, the two 17-year-olds had no training in neuroscience.
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For this experiment, the two teenagers were joined by William Dement, a researcher at Stanford University and pioneer in the clinical study of sleep, and by John J. Ross, a doctor in the American Navy.
Some positive effects
In order to stay awake, Randy Gardner engaged in physical activities, including basketball. Initially, some positive effects were noted, such as an improvement in his game, possibly attributable to these hours of daily training.
Tests were also conducted to assess his senses and cognitive abilities. Initially optimistic, Randy Gardner quickly became disillusioned. “There were no more ups, only ups and downs”he described.
A state in free fall
As the days passed, his condition gradually deteriorated. Changes were noted in smell, memory and speech. The young man also suffered from mood swings and a loss of ability to concentrate, so much so that he ultimately found himself unable to complete the cognitive tests. “On the last day, he is described as almost lethargic, expressionless and monotonous in his speech”said Pablo Barrecheguren, doctor of biomedicine, specialist in neurobiology and author of a book on sleep and dreams published in May 2024.
Finally, Randy Gardner fell asleep after 11 days and 25 minutes. He slept for 14 hours straight. His sleep pattern then returned to normal in the following days and the teenager has not suffered any after-effects.
As for the results, their scientific validity is low, especially since it is suggested that the young man experienced micro-sleeps and that he drank Coca-Cola, which contains caffeine. According to our colleagues, some people suffering from fatal familial insomnia or Morvan’s syndrome could, however, experience situations similar to his.
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