5 sleep secrets that transform student performance: What science really says

Here's something most students get backwards: They sacrifice sleep to study more, thinking it's a fair trade. Plot twist—science says it's one of the worst trades you can make. A groundbreaking study led by David Creswell at Carnegie Mellon University tracked over 600 first-year students using Fitbit devices and discovered something that should change how every student approaches exams: students averaging under six hours of sleep experienced dramatic academic decline, with each lost hour corresponding to a 0.07 drop in GPA. But here's what makes this fascinating—the researchers controlled for everything: past performance, napping, demographics, course load. Nothing made the sleep effect disappear. Your brain needs sleep like your phone needs charging. Let's explore what really happens when you prioritize those precious hours of rest.