The words you are reading start to blur ... all sounds start to fade into a distant hum... suddenly the lights go off ...
You have found yourself in the familiar situation of most every teenager at one time or another. The darkness is only the back of your eyelids telling you that staying up till 1 a.m. last night playing "Call of Duty" was not your brightest idea.
Jacob Haney, a junior at Syracuse High, has been a victim caught in the act of sleeping during school. He says he gets an average of six hours of sleep a night.
To get a little extra shut-eye, Haney openly admits, "I always sleep during class."
Research shows that teenagers need more sleep than the standard recommended eight hours a night. Influences such as puberty, biological factors and others play a part in how much sleep teens need. However, it comes down to the individual. Feeling well-rested is a common goal, and for many it can be extremely hard to obtain.
Hitting the hay
What determines when teenagers go to bed? There are three main categories of why teens have -- or don't have -- certain bedtimes.
SBlt Work is done. Going to sleep after accomplishing the day's tasks is the most common category among teenagers who are involved in sports, have part-time jobs, or stay up late doing homework.
Hannah Clawson, an Ogden High junior, falls in this category. She explains, "My average bedtime is 11 because that's when I get everything done that I need to do."
"I don't ever go to bed at the same time because of volleyball practices, homework and other activities. I just sleep when I can," said Morgan Smith, a Fremont High sophomore.
Hailey Rasmussen, a junior at Bonneville High, added, "I sleep after I'm done with my homework so I have a different bedtime every night. If I go to sleep without finishing my homework it's just really stressful."
SBlt Tuckered out. This second group also represents a significant number of teens. Everyone has probably fit into this category at one time or another; and that is sleeping when you are tired.
"I don't have a bedtime. If I'm tired I just fall asleep. If I'm not, I stay up until I feel tired," said senior Karen Linares from Syracuse High.
Konner Eldredge, a sophomore at Northridge High, explains, "When it's late I try to go to sleep. But usually I stay up reading until I feel tired."
Not only does this include laying down for the night but also napping. Twenty-minute power naps can be the perfect study break, to refresh your mind and body.
"I always sleep when I'm tired. Sometimes when I've had a nap I do random things at night until I'm tired," said Maddie Wright, a Bonneville High junior.
SBlt Lights out. This last category is for everyone who relies on routine -- those who have a set bedtime to insure their amount of beauty rest. It can be healthy and helpful to have our bodies fall asleep by habit.
"I have to go to bed at 9 because I need my sleep or else I'm ornery," said Stephanie Lloyd, a junior at Bonneville High.
Karly Johnston, a Bonneville junior, added, "I usually have homework and things to do but I make sure I'm done early and in bed by 10 p.m."
Rise and shine
Once you hit the hay and start to produce "Z's," time whizzes by and suddenly you are forced back into reality. Hopefully you have enjoyed several peaceful, blessed hours, submerged amid warm, comfy quilts and pillows -- because now you have to wake up and smell the hot chocolate.
Haney knows how challenging getting out of bed can be. He says, "I have to use two alarm clocks because I usually sleep through one."
Some people plan to push "snooze" a few times, and they set their alarms earlier to accommodate that habit. But this does not make a difference for Malori Crossley; waking up is hard for this Roy High senior.
"I don't plan to push snooze -- I turn my alarm OFF! I don't even realize it. It is just a subconscious thing," Crossley said.
Alarm clocks, cell phones and parents are teens' most common and dependable resources for getting out of bed and out the door.
However, Stephen Justensen, a senior from Layton High, found a creative way to rise and shine: "I use my iHome as my alarm. It plays random songs on my iPod to wake me up."
If nothing else seems to get your day started on time, check out Jeremy Schrader's idea. This Bonneville High junior says, "I'm going to invent an alarm clock that punches you a few times to make sure you're awake, because I have slept through my alarm too many times."
TX. correspondents Alexandra Burton, Ogden High; Brady Colvin, Da Vinci Academy; Lindsey Larson, Roy High; Mason Snow, Layton High, and Megan Stoker, Syracuse High, contributed to this story.
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Mackenzie Stevens is a junior at Bonneville High School. She loves playing volleyball and chill-axing with friends. E-mail her at stevensma1@wsdmail.net.
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