A year into World War I, a Hungarian soldier named Paul Kern was shot in the head by a Russian. The bullet entered his head through his right temple, knocking him out. He was rushed to a local hospital, but instead of dying, as would be expected from such a severe wound, Kern survived and eventually recovered. As a result, Hungarian soldiers were provided with metal helmets to protect their heads. Meanwhile, Kern hadn’t lost the ability to see or hear, but he had lost something more valuable: the ability to sleep. Not only had he lost the ability to sleep, he had also lost any desire to sleep. Without it, his days were eight hours longer than usual, both a blessing and a curse. Sleep is extremely important to maintaining a healthy body, both physically and mentally. In fact, it’s so important than an extreme lack of sleep is believed to be fatal. For Kern, however, none of that was a problem, which is why his case is so extraordinary. Even though he remained awake 24 hours a day, he was able to live a fairly normal life, with no obvious detrimental effects. For about an hour a day, he would close his eyes to rest his optic nerves, something he had to do to keep headaches at bay. He went to doctor after doctor, puzzling them all. Physicians said he would die young because his body was unable to recover without rest. Yet, Kern lived until 1955, reaching the age of 71. His case remains one of the most extraordinary documented examples of human resilience.
