Tony Wright (sleep deprivation)

Tony Wright from Penzance in Cornwall claimed the world sleep deprivation record in May 2007. The record was previously held by Randy Gardner who was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as holding the sleep record,, but wasn't credited by The Guinness Book of Records, since it does not accept records related to sleep deprivation any more due to the possible health risks. The National Sleep Research Project states that an unnamed record holder has stayed awake longer than Randy Gardner.

It is Wright's theory that we are trained to over-rely on the brain's left hemisphere, which he says requires more sleep than the right. By subsisting on a "Stone Age" diet of raw foods and suppressing conceptual thought, he claims, he avoids the stresses on our neurology brought on by modern lifestyles, and is able to perform such feats of deliberate insomnia.

Book
Tony Wright published Left in the Dark  in May 2007 it presents an outline of his theory that the left hemisphere is a hormonally retarded version of the right hemisphere. He has proposed that the ancient Ages of Man mythology accurately describe the onset and progression of a neurological condition that correlates with the end of the rapid expansion of the human brain. He also proposes that the origins of ‘religious’ techniques and practices were borne as an attempt to treat the condition. He further claims the damaged left side of our brain currently dominates us while phenomenal abilities remain latent in the relatively undamaged right.

Tony's latest project (September 2007)
Tony Wright successfully beat the world record for the longest telephone call shortly after 2am BST on Friday September 14th, 2007 after he continually spoke with various volunteers using an internet phone for over 40 hours. He then went on to set the new world record of 48 hours at 11am BST on the same day.

The attempt was held in conjunction with Tesco internet phone, and was hosted from his home in Penzance. A number of volunteers at a Tesco store in Kensington, London, helped him to keep the conversation going. Tesco internet phone donated £100 for every hour of the conversation to the British Red Cross, Tesco Charity of the Year Partnership. All the money raised will be used for crisis care in the UK.

The previous world record for the World’s Longest Phone Call stands at 39 hours 18 minutes and 24 seconds and was set on November 3rd, 2005 by Sandra Kobel and Stephen Hafner from Switzerland.