Man stays awake for 11 days and nights (and wasn't on meth)

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May 13, 2002
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#1
Although he looks like someone who was...he also saw "giggling dancing pixies and elves" on his computer screen, haha



A Cornish man says he has broken the world record for sleep deprivation by staying awake for 11 days and nights.

ony Wright, 42, from Penzance, was trying to beat the Guinness world record of 264 sleepless hours set by Randy Gardner in the US in 1964.

He fought off tiredness by drinking tea, playing pool and keeping a diary.

The Guinness Book of Records has since withdrawn its backing of a sleep deprivation class because of the associated health risks.

Hardest part

Weary Mr Wright told BBC News: "I feel pretty good, It's been a bit of a slog, but I got there."

He said that his 'Stone Age' diet of raw food helped parts of his brain to stay awake and remain functional for long periods.

He said: "It makes it much easier to switch from one side of the brain which is really tired, to the other.

"But both are pretty tired at the moment."

During the record attempt, Mr Wright noticed his speech becoming incomprehensible at times and colours appearing very bright.

A webcam and CCTV cameras monitored him 24-hours a day.

The attempt was part of Mr Wright's research into the body's relationship to sleep.

He argues that parts of the human brain require a different amount of sleep and it is possible to stay awake and remain functional for long periods.

He said the hardest part was staying in one place - Penzance's Studio Bar - in order to prove that he was not popping out for a sleep.

He set out to keep a full video record of the entire 11 days as proof he stayed awake.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/6689999.stm

Some more details here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/6690485.stm

At the end of it all, Mr Wright announced it as a victory for his theory that a raw food diet enabled him to switch between sides of the brain that require a different amount of sleep.

"For example if you build in a diet similar to our ancestors, will our brain work in a different way, does it mean we can have less sleep?"
 
May 2, 2002
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#5
my friends and I did this one time for a bet.. who could stay awake the longest. I won with 44 hours or something. One of my friends couldnt even do 24.