If we think our daily schedules as adults are tough, think about teenagers. They’re waking up around 6 a.m. for a school day that starts between 7:30 and 8. After school many students have extra-curricular activities that go until at least 6 p.m. Factor in time for transportation and your child may not make it home until after 7 p.m. Then it’s dinner time before trying to settle down and get started on homework, which may last until midnight or later. Medical experts said teens could benefit from a later school start time, preferably 8:30, to help with groggy teens throughout the school day, but some disagree. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said there’s not enough evidence to change the starting time for students. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, studies have found that teens experience excessive daytime sleepiness. Lack of sleep can have a major impact on physical health, school performance, test scores and mood. Our panelists today are Dr. Stephen Sheldon, the Northwestern University professor of pediatrics and neurology who serves as director of the Sleep Medicine Center at Lurie Children’s Hospital, Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom, Director for Center for Applied Research and Education Improvement, and Dr. Judith Owens, Director of Sleep Medicine at Children’s National Medical Center and Professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. Photo Courtesy of Flickr/ PARKER KNIGHT