Peter Tripp: 201 Hours Awake
The New York DJ, Peter Tripp, set a world record for sleep deprivation in 1959. He went for 201 hours (8.4 days) without sleep. He spent most of the time in a glass booth in Times Square, and the rest in a hotel room across the street, set up as a laboratory to monitor his reactions.
The stunt produced strange results. After three days, Tripp began to find things hilarious that weren’t funny at all. At other times, he became upset for no reason. He was also confused, asking why there were bolts in the window frames.
By day four, he was suffering from hallucinations and paranoia. At first they were simple patterns – like cobwebs on the doctors’ faces, or imagining that paint specks on the table were insects.
But soon his hallucinations became 3D. Tripp imagined mice and kittens scurrying around the room…
Eventually, Peter Tripp became psychotic. He rummaged through draws looking for non-existent money. He accused a technician of trying to harm him. He then claimed he was not Peter Tripp but an imposter. Nothing made sense to him.
On reaching his 200-hour target, Tripp was made to stay awake for one final hour while doctors did more tests. They left the EEG in place as he finally closed his bloodshot eyes and entered a deep 13-hour slumber.
He may have been physically restored, but Tripp’s family soon noticed a difference in his personality. His wife said he was moody and depressed. He fought with his boss, became involved in the payola scandal, and was fired from his high profile job as a radio DJ. He went on to have four divorces. Some would say the sleep stunt changed Peter Tripp forever.
Randy Gardner: 260 Hours Awake
Randy Gardner beat the world record for sleep deprivation at the age of 17. A typical high school student from California, Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours (11 days) without using any stimulants. His stunt was part of a school science project on sleep patterns.
The effects of sleep deprivation on Randy Gardner included moodiness, problems with concentration and memory, paranoia and hallucinations. After four days, he had the delusion that he was a famous American football player winning the Rose Bowl. He also mistook a street sign for a person.
On the 11th day, he was asked to subtract seven repeatedly, starting from 100. He stopped when he got to 65… and said he had forgotten what he was doing.
Yet later that day, Randy Gardner held a press conference where he spoke without slurring his words and appeared to be in excellent health.
After his marathon, Gardner slept for nearly 15 hours and returned to a normal sleeping pattern within days. Unlike Peter Tripp (who incidentally used stimulants to stay awake) there were no reports of any long term personality changes.
