Sleepless in The Studio Bar

Looking to break a sleepless record? The competition to beat just got tougher thanks to Tony Wright's miraculous 11-plus days of staying awake. It took more than 40 years for the record to be broken after Randy Gardner's sleepless feat back in 1964. He was 17 at the time and went 264 hours without falling asleep. Now Mr. Wright of Cornwall, England has overtaken him by staying awake for an additional two hours.

People often ask me whether you can sleep deprive yourself to death. Is it possible to keep yourself awake to the point your body just gives out?

Luckily, the answer is no. While it's true that if you deprive yourself of sleep consistently, you can increase your risk for a variety of diseases like cancer, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, an internal bomb won't go off if you force yourself to stay awake indefinitely. If anything, your foggy mind and inability to concentrate will mean you'll make poor decisions and perhaps jump out in front of a bus or drive your car into a tree.

Both Randy and Tony had to resort to drastic measures to stay awake. Randy took cold showers and listened to loud music; Tony tested his sleepy threshold with a vegetarian diet. Surely it helped to have the support of friends and family, and a world intently watching (Tony had a live web cam set up in a pub called The Studio Bar).

You can check out Tony's adventure by visiting the BBC's website and search for "Tony Wright," where you can download his video diary.

Oh, and for the "record," I wouldn't try this at home (or in a pub) if you're hoping to land in the Guinness Book of World Records. Guinness no longer keeps track of sleepless souls.