Stop
press - Tony made it - for
more details
Tony
would like to express his thanks for the support he has been shown from
across the world.
At
6.00 am on May 14 2007 Tony Wright began his quest to break the 43 year
old world sleep deprivation record. The event took place at The
Studio Bar, a new live music venue in Penzance, Cornwall. The previous
record of 264 hours (11 days) was set by 17 year old Randy
Gardner in 1964 as part of a student science project in San Diego.
Tony's
record attempt forms part of his research into human sleep. He has proposed
that each side of the human brain requires a different amount of sleep
and that, with appropriate preparation, it is possible to stay awake
and remain functional for long periods. While it may seem counterintuitive
or irrational, going without sleep to access more refined and functional
consciousness states has been part of the mystic tradition for millennia.
Tony is hoping that the record attempt will shed light on this and other
enigmas of the human mind.
Part of his preparation has involved eating what he describes as a primate
like diet - one similar to that of our rain forest dwelling ancestors.
His research implies that the biochemistry once abundant in our evolutionary
past was essential for our brain to develop its full potential.
People
were most welcome to participate, and helped him while away the hours
by playing pool and chatting with Tony, or just dropping in to check
whether he was still awake and sign the witness log.
Venue
The
Studio Bar is open between 9.00am and 1.30am; the bar is licensed between
11.00am and 1.00am, and light refreshments will be available between
licence hours.
Contact: info@kaleidos.org.uk
Tel 44(0)1736369727
What
others are saying . . .
Just
in case you are thinking that this all seems a bit off the wall here
are a few comments
from scientists interested in Tony’s sleep experiments.
BBC
Radio Cornwall covered the event
from when it commenced at 6am on Monday 14th May with regular updates
throughout the 11 days plus period.
Interview
with Tony and comments by leading UK sleep researcher Jim Horne
Read
Tony's Sleep
Deprivation Diary on BBC Radio Cornwall
Left
in the Dark