At 17 years of age, Randy Gardner became one of the pioneers in sleep deprivation experiments, pushing human endurance to its limits. 11 days and 25 minutes without sleep revealed quite astonishing physical and mental cost of sleep deprivation and its underlying effects. Documented under expert supervision, his case is an outstanding reminder of the critical role that sleep has in maintaining general health and cognitive functions.
This is the full story: 🧵
In December 1963, at just 17 years old, Randy Gardner embarked on a sleep deprivation experiment. (For the so-called high school science project.)
The goal?
The aim was to test the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function and explore how the lack of sleep impacts the brain and its functions, particularly in the areas of memory, concentration, and other areas of mental performance.
There were only two simple rules:
-
- Do not sleep.
- Do not take artificial stimulants.
Gardner managed to stay awake for 11 days and 25 minutes or 264 hours.
The experiment was closely supervised by:
- Dr. William C. Dement of Stanford University.
- Lieutenant Commander John J. Ross of the US Navy Neuropsychiatric Medical Research Unit 🪖
Every six hours, they conducted tests to assess Gardner’s mental state.
Initial days (days 1 to 3).
For the first few days, Gardner experienced alarming symptoms, including:
- Changes in mood and energy.
- Cognitive impairment.
Mood and Energy:
In the beginning stages of the experiment, Gardner seemed energetic and enthusiastic as he engaged in bowling and basketball activities that, other than keeping his mood high, would ensure him to keep off the tiredness that would otherwise have appeared in the earlier stages of the sleep deprivation period.
Cognitive Function:
By the third day of the experiment, Gardner was experiencing noticeable mood swings and short-term memory loss, and he was having severe problems concentrating on anything. His ability to focus steadily declined as lapses in attention turned out to be frequent, coupled with an increasing sense of frustration. During this period, he was ongoingly supported by his friends, who were interested in the experiment itself and were also challenged to break the current world record. 
As the days went by, however, they grew to become more concerned by the extreme sleep deprivation that could lead to some very serious health problems.
Intermediate days (days 4 to 7).
In the middle days of this experiment, Randy Gardner was hitting a breaking point where he was almost willing to give up on the challenge entirely. But unexpectedly, a major drawback that caused him trouble motivated him enough to persist and complete his grueling journey.
This is how he remembers that moment ⤵️
So he went on and welcomed new symptoms:
- Hallucinations and delusions.
- Loss of coordination.
- Sensory changes.
The symptoms are detailed below:
- Hallucinations and delusions:
Throughout the duration of the experiment, Gardner’s psychological condition continued to deteriorate to the point where he started undergoing vivid visual hallucinations and delusions, one of which – being a professional football player – stands vividly in the imagination. where reality is deeply distorted because of the extreme sleep deprivation.
- Loss of coordination:
As the experiment progressed, his physical coordination significantly declined, rendering even basic tasks that required fine motor skills increasingly challenging to execute, and this inability to perform simple activities compounded the overwhelming sense of disorientation he was experiencing.
- Sensory changes:
Reports indicated that the sensory perception, especially in his sense of taste and smell, was dramatically altered when the subject reached the final stages of the experiment; he would start responding in a different way to certain smells, which he previously considered appealing, to make him feel more uneasy and uncomfortable than ever, hence adding to his woes.
Last days (days 8 to 11)
In the last days of the experiment, Gardner’s condition worsened significantly and manifested itself in:
- Severe cognitive impairment.
- Difficulty speaking.
- Physical exhaustion.
- Severe cognitive impairment:
On the last day, Gardner struggled to perform even the most basic cognitive tasks. When asked to subtract seven from 100 repeatedly, he faltered, stopped at 65, and completely forgot what he was doing.
- Difficulty speaking:
His speech became increasingly incoherent, a telltale sign of extreme fatigue and cognitive overload. Her words, once clear, now struggled to come out, reflecting the damage the experiment had done to her.
- Physical exhaustion:
At this stage, Gardner’s energy levels were extremely low. His body showed clear signs of severe fatigue, a stark reminder of the toll the experiment had taken on him. Every movement required enormous effort.
After the experiment that nearly cost him his life, Gardner reportedly slept for 14 hours and 46 minutes. He was placed under observation to monitor his brain waves, heart rate, temperature, muscle activity and blood pressure.
It was included in the Guinness Book of Records. To this day, this experiment is considered one of the most rigorously documented cases of sleep deprivation. However, due to safety concerns, Guinness stopped monitoring sleep deprivation attempts in 1997. Sleep acts as a fundamental element to restore the body and brain. Even a small lack of sleep weakens the immune system, impairs memory and affects decision-making. Prioritize it to improve your health, your mood and your concentration.
Your body depends on it!
If you are not getting enough sleep, it is essential to fix it before it becomes a health problem.
