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QUINCY, ILL. -- You cannot underestimate the importance of a good night's sleep.

As adults, we feel much better and more productive when we sleep well the night before. But getting back to that routine may be a much harder sell to kids, who are getting ready for a jam-packed school year, after an almost "clock-free" summer.

As the school bell tolls, that means some major schedule changes for your kids, including their sleep habits.

Quincy Medical Group Sleep Expert Twila Walter says getting your kids in the right routine now is very important.

"Summertime, kids tend to sleep late, get up when they kind of want to do that type of thing. Stay up later.  It's very important for children to get into a routine and stay in a routine especially during the school year," she said.

She also says it's important for your kids to maintain that routine once the weekend rolls around.

"Don't have them staying up late on Sunday night and then they start the week out bad because they get up too early on Monday morning," Walter said.

Kids these days love technology and want to be interconnected all the time.

Walter says parents have to draw the line and set the example in the home.

"Take the T.V.s out of the bedroom. Don't have the cell phones on. Don't use your computer. Use your bedroom for sleep. Do those things outside the bedroom," Walter said. "Don't have your sleep interrupted by external devices as that."

Your kids will pay a price if they don't get the kind of sleep that they need.

"It's going to lead to not only just sleep deprivation, but it's going to lead to a more negative health issue with everybody involved," Walter explained.

As with anything in the home, parents will have to set and maintain the example.

"Structure is the best thing you can do. And if parents are structured, the kids are going to be structured also," Walter said. "So parents are going to be leaders in this particular situation."

So get a good night's sleep ... it's good for you and it's good for your family.