The SAT and Sleep: Part 1

In high school, I took the SAT three times. The second time, I was more prepared than ever — but my score dropped 100 points. The culprit? Not a harder test, not nerves… but sleep. I was averaging barely  6 hours of sleep per night and showed up on test day running on fumes and caffeine.

Why Sleep Matters More Than You Think
We often treat sleep like it’s optional — something we’ll "catch up on" later. But research says otherwise. A study from MIT found that students who got less sleep in the week leading up to a test scored significantly lower — even if they felt fine that morning.

Even just one night of short sleep (<6 hours) can impair:
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• Attention span
• Memory retention
• Test-taking stamina
• Logical reasoning (not great for SAT math…)

Not Just About the Night Before
Here’s the sneaky part: it wasn’t just that I slept poorly the night before the SAT. I had been consistently sleeping only 5–6 hours a night for weeks. That cumulative sleep debt caught up to me — and my scores paid the price. In part 2 of the SAT and Sleep blog, I’ll break down practical, student-friendly tips to improve sleep without sacrificing productivity — including:
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• The best bedtime habits for busy teens
• How screen time affects your sleep cycles
• What time you should actually go to bed the week before the SAT

(And no, this won’t be your typical “just get 8 hours” fluff.)

Final ThoughtsEven with great prep and solid practice tests under your belt, skimping on sleep can tank your performance. I learned that the hard way. Sleep isn’t a luxury during SAT season — it’s part of your strategy.