Most days, we go about 16-18 hours without sleep. Then our biological rhythms compel us to hunker down and get some shuteye.
But what if you refuse? Or, worse, what if you're unable to sleep?
This is the question that inspired some grueling sleep deprivation experiments in the 1950s and 60s.
Perhaps the most famous is the world record set by the New York DJ Peter Tripp. He stayed awake for 201 hours (8.4 days). He spent most of the ordeal in a glass booth in Times Square, and the rest in a hotel room across the street being monitored by scientists.
After three days, Tripp began laughing hysterically at nothing at all. He also became upset, confused and paranoid.
He hallucinated - at first, simple patterns like cobwebs on people's faces, or insects which were really specks of paint on the table. But soon, they became more intense, like waking dreams. He famously saw mice and kittens scurrying around the room.
By the end of his sleepless stunt, Tripp actually became psychotic. He rummaged through draws searching for non-existent money. He accused a technician of trying to harm him. He then claimed he was not Peter Tripp but an impostor. 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.
Unfortunately, there were permanent consequences to the experiment. Tripp's family noticed a difference in his personality; he was moody and depressed. He fought with his boss, became involved in the Payola scandal, and was fired from his high profile job.
He went on to have four divorces.
Some would say the 8-day stunt changed Peter Tripp forever.
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