Randy Gardner

Who is Randy Gardner?

Randy Gardner is the holder of the scientifically documented record for the longest period a human has intentionally gone without sleep not using stimulants of any kind. In 1964, Gardner, a 17-year-old high school student in San Diego, California, stayed awake for 264.4 hours. This period of sleeplessness broke the previous record of 260 hours and 17 minutes held by disk jockey Tom Rounds of Honolulu.

Gardner's record attempt was attended by Stanford sleep researcher Dr. William C. Dement. Gardner's health was monitored by Lt. Cmdr. John J. Ross. A log was kept by two classmates from Point Loma High, Bruce McAllister and Joe Marciano Jr. Accounts of Gardner's sleep-deprivation experience and medical response became widely known among the sleep research community.