August 15th 2024.
Experts in the field of sleep have issued a warning against participating in a dangerous online challenge after a 19-year-old Australian Youtuber, known as "Norme," stayed awake for a staggering 265 hours straight as part of an online stunt.
The Youtuber, who live-streamed his attempt at breaking the record for the longest time awake, finally succumbed to sleep on August 12 after 11 grueling days without any shut-eye. Dr. Vanessa Cropley from the University of Melbourne expressed her disbelief at the idea of willingly putting oneself through such an ordeal, as it goes against all recommendations from a health perspective.
She emphasized the inherent risks involved in such a challenge and found it concerning that someone would subject themselves to it merely for an experiment. The 19-year-old spent most of the two weeks of sleeplessness in his home near Melbourne, with a fascinated audience watching his every move.
Norme, who prefers to keep his identity anonymous, admitted to feeling drowsy after the first night without sleep and by day 10, he described himself as being "pretty freaking delirious." Surprisingly, he did not consult with any medical professionals before embarking on this challenge, relying on the fact that no one had ever died from attempting it.
Throughout the ordeal, Norme experienced moments of microsleep, but had helpers on standby to wake him up. After achieving the 265-hour mark and claiming the record, he finally allowed himself to sleep for 38 hours. When asked about his condition after the recovery sleep, he mentioned feeling a bit dizzy but overall okay.
Norme's goal was to break the record set by Randy Gardner, an American who stayed awake for 264 hours as a teenager in 1964. While there is no official world record for this feat, Guinness World Records has stopped acknowledging such records due to safety concerns.
Dr. Cropley, a Research Fellow at the Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, explained that the effects of extreme sleep deprivation can be severe. She noted that symptoms start with sluggishness, drowsiness, and a decrease in alertness, then escalate to irritability, and a decline in cognitive function. In rare cases, prolonged sleep deprivation can also lead to symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations and paranoid thinking.
Norme's Instagram post on August 14 revealed that his hands had become irritated and were peeling after spending so much time awake. Dr. Cropley explained that his body needed 38 hours of sleep to recover from the physical stress, which may have caused the inflammation of the skin. In the past, researchers have studied the effects of long-term sleep deprivation in controlled lab conditions, but such experiments are now considered unethical.
Dr. Cropley reiterated that she strongly advises against anyone attempting to replicate Norme's feat. The potential consequences and dangers far outweigh any potential benefits. So, let's leave the record-breaking to the professionals and prioritize our health and well-being above any online challenge.
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