Beep, beep, beep. You smack the alarm with your fist. It’s Monday morning, and you can barely even yank yourself out from under the sheets, especially since you were up all night studying for that big exam.

Needless to say, you are tired-and it’s only Monday.

This is something that happens to everybody, and is a huge problem with teens. The vast majority of teens, whether in high school or college, suffer from some kind of sleep deprivation at some point in their academic careers. It is a very common problem, of course, but what are the adverse side effects that come from being tired all the time?

For one, it’s hard to stay awake in class. As a result, some students who are extra tried opt to simply hit the books… literally, with their foreheads. More than 28 percent of students fall asleep in school, according to a story by MSNBC, Drowsy Teens Dozing off at School, On the Road (www.msnbc.msn.com). This can result in missing out on valuable information, such as assignments or test dates. Not to mention, many teachers and professors look down on those who sleep in class.

“I do say something to students who fall asleep in my class,” Prof. Sherri Taylor of Syracuse University, said. “I view them as slackers.”

Prof. Taylor also says that she thinks college students tend to be night owls, and that many of them have wacky hours. She notices that many seem to be extra tired during mid-terms and final weeks.

Studies have shown that teenagers need a minimum of at least 9 to 10 hours of sleep a night. This is much different from their childhood years, when they only require about eight. On average, studies show that teens only get about 7.2 hours every night. This obviously does not bode well with already hectic schedules and stressful class assignments.

Part of the problem is the fact that many schools start early, sometimes as early as 7 a.m. Studies have shown that teens are more active in the afternoon than they are in the morning.

Some schools have changed their start times to go along with these findings. One example of this can be found in Minneapolis, where a school changed its start time from 7:15 to 8:40 a.m. After changing the time they started, the school found that their test scores, grades and all-around performance changed drastically for the better.

The main type of sleep that is needed is REM, or rapid-eye movement, sleep, according to experts. This is where the body gets most of its rest, and is integral to performing daily functions. If somebody is awoken during this time of sleep, usually after a few hours of rest, they will be groggy and irritable. This is essentially what happens when you go to bed late and wake up early, and explains why it is so difficult to feel fully awake throughout the day after doing so.

Another major problem is oversleeping. After having a long, sleepless day, the first thing many people want to do is go home and go right to bed. Sounds like a good idea, right? Wrong.

People who nap the moment they get home will end up wide awake later at bedtime. This is a time when sleep is most needed. This can lead to a vicious cycle that many are guilty of falling into, especially when it comes to oversleeping or sleeping in until noon on a weekend.

Besides, there are better things to do than crash the moment you get back from class.

Here are some tips from mayoclinic.com that you should follow if you are having trouble getting the amount of sleep you should:

• Establish a time to get to bed and wake up, and stick to it each night. Accept no variations on this, even if you have something due the next day. Just get it done earlier or after you wake up.
• Reduce caffeine consumption. Our nation runs on beverages such as coffee, pop, and energy drinks. Such drinks are good in the morning when you are trying to wake up for school or work, but if used in excess they can cause much more harm than help and linger in the body at bedtime.
• Exercise daily. Studies have shown that exercising daily aids the body in winding down later on in the night and helps it to get to sleep. Besides, it is good for you and can be fun as well. Just make sure you finish any physical activities at least two hours before bedtime.
• Get rid of bright lights and distractions. Some people have the television, lights, computer, etc. on as they are trying to get to bed. This will keep some people up, and cause problems when your body is attempting to get REM sleep.

If you have tried the above but still have trouble getting to bed, maybe it is time to contact a doctor. You may be experiencing sleep disorders such as Restless Leg Syndrome, Insomnia, or Narcolepsy. Sleeplessness may also be a cause of an underlying, more serious disease, according to doctors.

Sleep is an important part of being a student. As important, in fact, as completing assignments or doing good on a test. When it comes to high school and college, if you snooze, you definitely do not lose.