Same-Sex Marriage At Federal Court, Sleep In Kids, How To Win Fantasy Football

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The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing oral arguments in Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage case Tuesday. We speak with WPR’s capitol reporter who is covering the case in Chicago. Then we hear the argument for pushing back school start times for kids and learn how to get a leg up in Fantasy Football this season.

Featured in this Show

  • Pediatricians' Message To High Schools: Start The Day Later

    The American Academy of Pediatrics released a new policy statement on Monday saying that the nation’s schools should begin their day at 8:30 a.m. or later in order for middle-school and high school students to be the most alert and effective.

    According to Dr. Judith Owens, the lead author for the AAP’s new statement, puberty is a time when chronic sleep loss becomes an issue for adolescents and teens.

    “Around that time, (teens) have a natural, normal shift in their circadian rhythms, which is the body’s clock that regulates when we (are) asleep and when we’re awake,” said Owens, who’s also director of sleep medicine at Children’s National Health System. “The average teenager really has difficulty falling asleep much before 11 p.m., so they’re biologically programmed to wake at around 8 a.m., a time when many of us already have to be in school.”

    While many teens may try to quell their drowsiness by taking an afternoon nap, Owens said it’s not a long-term solution.

    What’s worse is when teens sleep in on the weekends.

    “The practice of going to bed later or sleeping until noon actually makes that normal circadian shift even more exaggerated (on the weekdays),” said Owens. “It’s kind of like flying from New York to L.A. and back every weekend. You’re asking your body to make a dramatic shift in sleep-wake patterns, and we know that that kind of circadian disruption in and of itself can have real health problems.”

    Though school districts might balk at the AAP’s recommendations — perhaps citing difficulties in shifting transportation schedules and rearranging extra-curricular activities — Owens said approximately 1,000 schools around the country have experimented with the schedule change with some success.

    “What we found in talking and interviewing and surveying many of these schools around the country is that a lot of the anticipated problems did not materialize, or did not materialize to the extent that they anticipated,” Owens said.

    She acknowledges that the change is hard, but said the payoff could outweigh the costs.

    “It’s very important to give communities enough time to adjust their schedules, for families to make arrangements for child care … but at the end of the day, this is such a critical issue in regards to long-term potential health consequences that I think it is worth the short-term pain,” she said.

  • U.S. Appeals Court Hears Wisconsin's Same-Sex Marriage Case

    Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage lawsuit is being heard today in a federal appeals court in Chicago. A WPR reporter on the scene talks about what happened in today’s oral arguments.

  • American Academy Of Pediatrics Now Says Middle And High Schools Should Start Later In The Morning

    The American Academy of Pediatrics just released a new policy statement saying that delaying the school day in middle and high schools until 8:30 a.m. or later would help fight chronic sleep loss in teens. The lead author of this statement explains the AAP’s new stance and how a later school start time could help teens.

  • TMWYK: How To Win Your Fantasy Football League

    Football season is right around the corner, and for fantasy football fans, it’s the best time of the year. On this edition of Teach Me What You Know, Wisconsin’s “Fantasy Football Nerd” talks about what you need to know to win your league, and how to maximize your enjoyment in the process.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Amanda Magnus Producer
  • Chris Malina Producer
  • Dr. Judith Owens Guest
  • Shawn Johnson Guest
  • Joe Dyken Guest