Longest Sleep Deprivation Record: 9 More Hours to Go!

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In summary, Entropia has set a record for staying awake the longest. She is currently at 13 hours and 29 minutes. She is also suffering from some health problems due to lack of sleep, but she thinks that it is worth it to stay awake.
  • #1
Entropia
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does anybody know of any guiness world book type of record for the person who has stayed the wake the longest?

how can sleep deprivation negatively impact one's health?

this may sound like a silly question, but i am seriously curious about... can one die of sleep deprivation?

it is friday 12:28 am 13 of june and i have been awake since 9 am monday 9th of june. except i sort of fell asleep with my eyes open for about an hour today.

9 more hours and i will have broken my own record.

<sigh>
 
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  • #2
I don't know, but you shouldn't toy with it until you know more.
 
  • #3
does anybody know of any guiness world book type of record for the person who has stayed the wake the longest?
I remember it's a 17 year old high school student who set this record but I can't remember how long he stayed awake.

can one die of sleep deprivation?
The answer is yes. Scientists have done experiments on rats that they avoid them from sleeping while providing them with everything they needs, after some time they died.

In fact lack of sleep can cause lots of health problems both physiologically and psychologically. Here are some links for references:
http://ky.essortment.com/sleepdeprivatio_rloc.htm [Broken]
http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000701-d000800/d000705/d000705.html [Broken] [URL [Broken]
http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/09/20/sleep.deprivation/[/URL]
Hope you won't fall asleep with your eyes open while you're reading. :smile:

Some time ago, scientists suggested that ideally, we should have about 6 hours sleep per night. Too much or too little sleep may decrease our life spans. They found that those who have 8+ hours sleep per night or 5- hours sleep per night have shorter life spans.
 
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  • #4
Yeah, I would be careful Entropia. Go to sleep! :smile:

A lack of sleep does have it's negative effects. During the Christmas break, I would spend late nights reading something and in the morning, having not gone to bed after a few nights, I felt like my heartbeat was irregular and my eyes were on fire.

After coming back from India for my sister's wedding, I had to make up a month's worth of work and there was no possible way to finish it up unless I neglected sleep. So I would work till 3AM, get 2 hours of sleep, then wake up and go to school. After weeks of this, I was so nervous that the slightest sound would make me jump, my head would hurt so bad I couldn't concentrate too much, I couldn't answer questions directly because my mind was in some other place and being unshaven with blood red eyes, I looked like the walking dead.

I was physically myself around two weeks after I started sleeping more, but psychologically, it took me a long time (almost a year) to get readjusted to it.

I wouldn't recommend anyone going without sleep.
 
  • #5
I found 19 days, 21 hours and 40 minutes.

http://www.myfw.com/body/Article_100004.asp

Not sure how accurate it is, but it's all I could find.
 
  • #6
Just as I sidenote, I think that one of the great things
about it is the totally deep sleep you have after you've
stayed awake for a long time, it's the same as after
consuming a fair amount of alcohol or working physicly
hard for a whole day. It's very refreshing once you manage
to wake up. :smile:

Live long and prosper.
 
  • #7
actually, i do really enjoy staying up all of one night, only to sleep for 14 hours the next... that long deep sleep does feel really good.

I get heaps of sleep. I probably should try to make my body adjust to 7 hours sleep or something. ATM, i have trouble if I get less than 8.
 
  • #8
From 1994 Guiness book of records, 'Victims of the rare condition chronic colestites (total insomnia) have been known to go without total sleep for years'

I remember reading about an indian guy who suffered from it.
 
  • #9
Any hallucinations yet, Entropia? If I go more than 72hrs, I start to experience hallucinations, both visual and auditory.
 
  • #10
http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.sleepdep.html

one thing that i have found interesting is the use of controlled sleep dep as a treatment for depression...with emphasis on the word controlled...
 
  • #11
Originally posted by Entropia

how can sleep deprivation negatively impact one's health?

this may sound like a silly question, but i am seriously curious about... can one die of sleep deprivation?

there must be a negative effect on one's health (I'll check the links later). It happened sometimes for me to stay awake for 2-3 nights consecutively and I was NOT feeling really good at the end. But drag is right about the sleep afterwards :wink:.
However I don't think you can die because of that.

PS: hope you did get some sleep until now...
 
  • #12
i generally only sleep for about 1-2 hours a night, i just don't seem to need that much sleep at all. the longest i have gone without sleep is 5 days. and after that i slept for 6 and half hours the following night then returned to my normal 1-2 hours a night afterwards. it seems like most people need between 6-8 hours but a few rare cases either really need lots of sleep or very little sleep. lucky for me I am a rare case that needs very little sleep, it gives me so much more time for other things
 
  • #13
Sleep Deprivation Record

Here's a link to a pretty good article on the subject.

http://www.pbs.org/livelyhood/nightshift/sleep_deprivation.html

A quote:

Notorious cases of record-setters include disc jockey Peter Tripp who in 1959 stayed up for more than eight days as a promotional stunt. After a few days, he began to hallucinate, seeing kittens, mice, and cobwebs. He also became paranoid, insisting that an electrician had dropped a hot electrode into his shoe.

(Read about one Livelyhood producer's night shift experiences on the road, including hot tub hallucinations!).

Six years later, high school student Randy Gardner attempted to break the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest time awake -- 260 hours. And after 11 days without sleep he suffered no hallucinations or paranoia and no psychotic symptoms.
 
  • #14
there is also a disease, a familial insomnia, which may be lethal. But I don't know much about it.
 
  • #15
toying with what some find so desirable but so unobtainable makes little sense.

it sounds as if the posters are mostly young and their batteries full. age and sleep are related in many ways (afik) and it would be truly wonderful to sleep like in the days of my youth.
 

1. What is the current longest record for sleep deprivation?

The current longest sleep deprivation record is held by Randy Gardner, who stayed awake for 264.4 hours (11 days) in 1964.

2. Who is attempting to break the record of 264.4 hours?

It is not specified who is attempting to break the record, but it is mentioned that it is a group of people.

3. How long has the group been awake for so far?

The group has been awake for 255.4 hours (10.6 days) so far.

4. What are the potential risks of staying awake for such a long period of time?

The potential risks of staying awake for a long period of time include cognitive impairment, mood changes, hallucinations, and decreased immune function.

5. Is it safe to attempt to break the longest sleep deprivation record?

It is not recommended to attempt to break the record, as it can have serious negative effects on one's health and well-being.

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