What is the Longest Time Someone Has Gone Without Sleep?

Wright had some practice: he had already been through more than 100 sleep deprivation experiments, the longest one lasting eight days. He also employed a unique raw-food diet. Wright claims that his regimen of salads, avocados, bananas, pineapples, nuts, seeds, carrot juice and herbal tea helped his brain stay awake. In fact, according to a study at Stanford University, researchers found that diet can reduce the ill effects of being sleep deprived [Source: Stanford Medicine].

He also says that it allowed him to "switch" from one side of his brain to the other when he got tired. (Whales and dolphins are known to employ similar brain-switching techniques, which allow one part of their brain to rest while the other focuses on breathing and other basic functions).

In order to chronicle his attempt, Wright confined himself to a live-music venue called Studio Bar in Penzance, Cornwall, and allowed a Webcam to monitor him the entire time. He also kept a blog for the BBC, though he stopped blogging on the tenth day because he found it too difficult to write coherently. The public visited Wright at the Studio Bar or kept track of him through his Webcam.

Long before Tony Wright laid claim to staying awake the longest, there was a record-holding 17-year-old boy from San Diego. It all started back in 1964 when two high school students were planning an experiment for a science fair project. According to Bruce Mcallister, he and his friend Randy wanted to beat the world record for staying awake. At this time, the record was held by a DJ in Honolulu who managed to evade sleep for 260, hours (just under 11 days) [Source: BBC].

Bruce Mcallister told the BBC that their goal was to explore the health consequences of severe sleep loss, such as the human brain's cognitive abilities. In the end, Gardner managed to not fall asleep for 11 days and 25 minutes. Since then Randy's record has been broken many times [Source: BBC].

Though it's believed that Wright broke Randy Gardner's sleep deprivation record, the Guinness Book of World Records no longer acknowledges sleep deprivation attempts because it feels they're too dangerous. In fact, Robert McDonald is the last person to hold the Guinness World Record before they removed the category in 1989. He set this record in 1986 by going 453 hours and 40 minutes (which is 18 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes) without sleeping [source: Guinness World Records].

The health risks of prolonged sleeplessness are potentially severe. For example after five days, Wright wrote in his blog that he saw "giggling dancing pixies and elves" in place of the text on his computer screen. He had difficulty understanding the speech of others and was evidently experiencing some hallucinations [source: BBC].

Tony Wright seemed to handle 264-plus hours of sleeplessness without significant mental faculties, but doctors strongly recommended that no one try such an experiment on his own. Long-term sleep insufficiency can affect a person's cognitive and sensory abilities. For example, it may lead to vision problems, hallucinations, paranoia, mood swings, difficulty communicating or understanding others, a compromised immune system and depression.

Changing How The Brain Works

There's also the question of why anyone would want to stay awake for 11 days. Wright claims that he was researching the effects of sleep on the body and that he wanted to "bring attention to changing variables in human lifestyle" [source: BBC]. But some scientists have criticized his effort.

Dr. Chris Idzikowski, sleep researcher and director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said that "It's a nice idea if it works. Dolphins sleep on one side of the brain, but human organs are not designed that way. Dr. Irdzikowski also told the BBC that Wright's theory about switching from one side of the brain to the other could only be verified by monitoring brain activity, and that someone participating in a self-conducted sleep deprivation experiment may nod off for short periods without even realizing it [source: BBC].

In fact, on day seven, Wright wrote on his blog that some Webcam viewers had become concerned that he had fallen asleep (or worse) because he appeared to be sitting still. Wright claimed that he was "merely pondering one's creative insights (or in this case lack of them)" [source: BBC]. Whether he had unknowingly nodded off cannot be confirmed.

Drunk with Tiredness

Problems can arise even from small bouts of sleeplessness. Twenty-four hours without sleep can produce as much impairment as being legally drunk. Consequently, severe sleep loss is a major contributor in car accidents and may have contributed to disasters such as the explosion at Chernobyl and the Exxon Valdez crash.

High Blood Pressure, Stress, and Low Oxygen Levels

Sleep deprivation is also a major concern for people who work long hours (such as doctors and night-shift employees) and for anyone suffering from sleep apnea, which causes high blood pressure, stress and low oxygen levels in the blood. Repeated bouts of insufficient sleep can increase your appetite and lead to weight gain.

A new group of drugs aims to eliminate the side effects of short-term sleep deprivation. Called eugeroics, these stimulants promise to boost cognitive performance after 36 or more hours without sleep. Some of these drugs have been used to treat narcolepsy. Their manufacturers, pending FDA approval, hope to adapt them for other purposes, such as allowing people to get by on a few hours of sleep a night or to put in extra-long shifts. Whether these drugs represent the future of how people live and work -- and let's hope they don't -- remains to be seen. They certainly don't replace sleep, and their effects, especially after long-term use, need to be studied closely.

Of course, sleep is a very important function. While we sleep, our muscles and cells rest and rejuvenate, which allows the brain to "archive" memories and improving cognitive function during waking hours.

Unless someone suffers from unbearable insomnia or fatal familial insomnia, most adults should aim for seven to eight hours or sleep. Although some public figures, such as Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, have boasted of sleeping only four hours a night or less. All animals have to sleep, too. Giraffes sleep less than two hours a day, while pythons snooze through three-fourths of the day. In the end -- for humans, at least -- it depends on the individual's needs. As babies we often sleep up to 20 hours a day, but by old age, we may be getting by on six or seven.

For more information about sleep deprivation, how sleep works and a link to Tony Wright's blog, please browse the links on the next page.