The Russian Sleep Experiment: Fact or Fiction?

Throughout history, human beings have tried in every way possible to expand their knowledge, which is mostly a good thing.

However, there have been many times that ethics have been put aside to, like mad scientists, try to have a deeper knowledge of our species, even if this meant sacrificing the health of our like-minded people.

In recent years The case of the Russian sleep experiment has circulated on the Internet, which is said to have been a Soviet program that has caused real nightmares to more than one who has been aware of it. Let's look at it in more depth and discover to what extent what is told in it was real or not.

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The Russian sleep experiment

Human beings have tried to satisfy their curiosity to learn more about the world in which they live and their own nature in the most varied ways, some of which are morally dubious.

Many experiments have been carried out in pursuit of science and progress, which have involved violating scientific ethics and have even committed violations of human rights. To name a few, experiments such as Stanford Prison and the

Milgram experiment in which, despite producing no deaths or injuries, they began a true debate on experimental ethics both in psychology and science in general.

However, these experiments are not at all harmful compared to those committed in World War II, at the hands of the Nazis. Doctors in concentration camps used thousands of prisoners as human guinea pigs, subjecting them to all kinds of torture: putting them in ice water, trying to change the color of their eyes, amputations…

That is why, when the case of the Russian sleep experiment appeared on the Internet a few years ago, it seemed that, Although the story didn't sound very believable, it didn't seem entirely surreal either., taking into account that not even a century ago authentic atrocities were committed that have been documented as true events.

The story takes place in the late 1940s. Nazi Germany has just been defeated and the end of World War II comes to an end. Although the armed conflict is extinguishing, the threat of a Third World War becomes increasingly evident, especially since the United States demonstrated its nuclear power. The Soviet Union had to investigate everything possible to overcome the American enemy., and ethics was an impediment to winning the Cold War that had just begun. The story of the Russian dream experiment bases its narrative on this historical context, and describes the following situation, which supposedly would have taken place in the USSR.

The gas that prevents you from having to sleep

A new gas had just been synthesized which promised to eradicate a basic need in every human being: sleep. Gas, if it works, would be a great step to increase the productivity of the USSR. A proletariat that does not need sleep is a proletariat that can work harder, late into the night.

However, the gas could not be tested just like that in the factories of the USSR, since scientists The Soviets did not want to risk implementing something that, if it failed, could mean great losses for the Federation. An experiment had to be done first, with human beings, and what better human guinea pigs than the enemies of the regime?

The research group caught five people who were interned in gulags, that is, camps forced laborers, who had been arrested for treason against the Union, and placed in a base secret There they were promised that, after 30 days, if they managed to hold out, they would be granted the long-awaited freedom; the only thing they had to do was coexist on the base during that period of time while a new psychoactive gas was introduced into the chamber that would prevent them from sleeping.

The individuals were placed in a sealed room, from where the research group could monitor the effects of the promising new gas. The human guinea pigs lived in small rooms with books, running water, a sink, bed frames without bedding, and enough food to survive a month. In all the rooms there were microphones prepared to capture any sound emitted by the subjects of this experiment.

During the first five days the subjects did not feel bad, especially because of the motivation that, once the time of the investigation had passed, they would be able to achieve their freedom. Individuals talked among themselves about banal things, without much experimental interest, such as common tastes, their opinion about the experiment and the room where they had been put or what they would do once released. Everything seemed normal until the fifth day arrived, the day the madness began.

Changes in behavior

It was from day number five that there was a change in the topics of the conversations. These became darker, and the physical and mental complaints began, hinting at episodes of paranoia. The subjects, who until a few days ago had been friendly with each other, began to distrust each other. Suspicions began to appear and, to avoid any type of information being used against them, they stopped talking and began to act strangely.

All of these strange behaviors were considered an unwanted effect of the gas, although the researchers did not decide to stop the experiment at that time. They wanted to know how far this new invention would take them, how the experiment would evolve.

The days passed and when we reached the tenth, one of the subjects began to scream.. The screams lasted almost three hours and, suddenly, there was silence, followed by strange sounds, guttural noises. The investigators wanted to know what was happening and went to find out, but when they saw it they were truly horrified by the scene. The subject, who until a few minutes ago was screaming at the top of his lungs, was no longer physically able to say a word: he had torn out his vocal cords himself.

But what was surprising about this scene was that the other roommates did not seem to be aware of the atrocity that one of the subjects had just committed. They didn't even flinch when the ropes were torn off. The rest continued with their personal paranoias until one of them started screaming like his partner. The others chose to take the books from the room, open them and defecate on them, tearing out pages and sticking them on the walls, using the excrement as if it were putty or glue.

Between days ten and thirteen the subjects remained in a gloomy silence. They didn't say a single word, not even to talk about their personal paranoias, nor could any screams be heard. No noise came from the cubicle. What was happening? The experiment was close to completing its second week and, seeing the terrifying results they were obtaining, The group of scientists decided to make a decision that they had said they would not do: open the room.

Through the speakers inside the room they announced that they would open the cubicle and, to safeguard themselves from any aggression from the subjects, they clarified that they would shoot anyone who tried something. They also said that, if they obeyed all the scientists' orders, one of the inmates would be released, but what the researchers did not expect was the response they would receive. One of the subjects, with a calm voice, told them 'We no longer want to be released.'

Entering to see the prisoners

When the fifteenth day arrived, it was finally decided to open the door, and a group of well-protected and armed soldiers entered the room. What they saw they had never seen before, not even in a war field: the subjects screamed, desperate, and, of the five who started the experiment, they saw that one of them was no longer alive.

The food had barely been touched, only the food from the first five days had been eaten., but the subjects had fed differently: the inmates had torn off part of their muscles and skin, with their own hands, and then had eaten them in an autocannibalistic act.

They tried to get them out of the room, but the subjects no longer wanted to leave there, and They wanted to be given more psychotropic gas, they needed it to stay awake and alive. Seeing that their demands were not satisfied, they took action, attacking and killing several soldiers and, in that crazy fight, one of the subjects who was still alive was seriously injured.

When they managed to immobilize the subjects, a group of doctors took care of the one who was most injured. Although an attempt was made to sedate him with a dose of morphine 10 times higher than normal, he didn't have enough. He continued screaming desperately and attacking the doctors. He screamed that he wanted more, but the screams ended when he himself bled to death on the stretcher.

The other three subjects, without as many injuries, were also taken to medical facilities. Two of them still had their vocal cords and continued to insist that they be given more psychotropic gas. They needed to stay awake at all costs. As they demanded more of the experimental substance, they smiled eerie smiles that chilled him. the blood of the nurses, who were terrified at having to help in that investigation.

One of them, who had managed to remove part of his organs while in the cubicle, needed surgery. During the operation, in which no anesthesia was administered, he spoke with the surgeon, yelling at him desperately. The phrase was very simple and clear: 'Keep cutting! The other two subjects, who also needed surgery, made it difficult for the doctors, since they laughed outrageously without being able to stop.

They needed more gas. No matter how damaged their bodies were, they didn't seem to care about the poor state they were in. They only seemed to care about the psychotropic gas. Were they addicted to it as if it were a drug? Did they need it to stay alive? To resolve these unknowns, and taking advantage of the fact that some subjects could still speak, the researchers asked them why. Your answer:

"I must stay awake."

Outcome

The three survivors were returned to the room and, since the experiment to find out if the tan promising sleep gas had failed, the question arose of what to do with the subjects who were still alive. One of the KGB officers in charge of the investigation suggested seeing what would happen if the gas was administered again. experimental and, as they no longer had anything to lose, the research continued, but with a totally distinct. When the subjects inhaled the gas again, they immediately calmed down.

To the researchers' surprise, The brains of the subjects seemed to die and revive from time to time, with no possible scientific explanation.. One of the inmates lay down on one of the beds, rested his head on a pillow and closed his eyes, as if if, after several days without sleep, he decided that it had been time to calm that basic need. After closing his eyes, his death came almost instantly.

The investigators entered the cabin again and, to ensure that no soldiers died again, they shot down one of the subjects. Now there was only one left. One of the scientists asked him: "what are you?" The last of the survivors responded smiling.

''We are you. We are the madness that circulates through your bodies, asking to be released from your mind, which is housed in its most animal part. We are what you hide from when you go to sleep at night. We are what you say nothing about."

After these words, the investigator remained paralyzed and, without saying another word, he took his rifle and hit the last of the subjects of his investigation directly in the heart.

As creepy as it is surreal: what's true about it?

This whole story does not leave anyone indifferent. The idea that, in recent decades, all kinds of unethical and morally despicable experiments have been carried out is something that, even if we are very skeptical, we do not consider it completely false. For this reason, the idea that an experiment was done in which a mysterious psychotropic gas was used, the subjects went crazy and began to self-mutilate and become aggressive, among other things in the story, in addition to making us afraid, we see it as something that could be TRUE.

However, of course, it is not. The history of the Russian sleep experiment did not occur in the forties of the last century, nor is it result of obscure Soviet research on how to make people not need to sleep. This story, or rather, creepypasta, arises and spreads thanks to the Internet.

In fact, it is on the CreepyPasta website itself where you can enjoy the complete story, with some details changed given that, as you know, word of mouth and The fact that there are several pages that are copied from each other means that, as with the telephone game, the very creepy story evolves like the myth. what is it.

The origins of this story date back to the late 2000s and early 2000s.. In one of the forums of the aforementioned page, users were invited to invent the most terrifying urban legend, the one that managed to generate the most nightmares.

The story of the Russian sleep experiment turned out to be the clear winner of this challenge. It spread everywhere, appearing on YouTube mystery channels, blogging about its veracity, and even appearing in newspapers.

Although it is easy to imagine that most people get the idea that this is nothing more than an urban legend, there are quite a few who believe that this is nothing more than an urban legend. They dare to add fuel to the fire and say that the origin of the leaks of this story are a well-kept secret by the KGB or the Russian Federation.

But if we think coldly, You can understand why this experiment is pure fiction. The first is that never, ever would a penitentiary institution, such as the gulags, promise to their prisoners freedom for the simple fact of doing an experiment, no matter how dangerous it might be. seem. What good would it do for the USSR to free state traitors for the simple fact of participating in the Soviet investigation?

One may think that, logically, the subjects were deceived and that, if the experiment had gone as the researchers wanted Whatever it was, at the end of it they would end up executing the prisoners, but, equally, the participants in the investigation would not be Fools. Whether they were forced or not, participation in the experiment would presumably result in their execution, or at best, returning to hard labor.

Finally, there is the existence of the gas itself and the wounds that the supposed human guinea pigs inflicted on themselves. Till the date, There is no known gas that is capable of producing the effects that have been attributed to that of creepypasta. Furthermore, no matter how drugged you are, tearing off large amounts of skin and muscle means that, after a few hours or even minutes, the subject will bleed to death. A person whose intestines are protruding and dripping with blood will not live another day without proper medical assistance.

Bibliographic references:

• Creepypasta wiki (s. f.) The Russian dream experiment. Creepypasta wiki. Taken from https://creepypasta.fandom.com/es/wiki/El_experimento_ruso_del_sue%C3%B1o.