Night Owl Teens More Likely To Gain Weight In Adulthood: Study

Sleeping late can cause teens and adolescents to gain weight, a new study warns.

Researchers at UC Berkeley established that every hour of sleep lost was associated with a 2.1 point increase in body mass index over five years. BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy while anything above is considered overweight and obese, reports CBS News. Researchers also found that the number of sleep hours and frequency of exercise did not negate the impact of late sleeping.

"These results highlight adolescent bedtimes, not just total sleep time, as a potential target for weight management during the transition to adulthood," study's lead author Lauren Asarnow said.

The study involved analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health between 1994 and 2009. Researchers found that teenagers who did not sleep recommended nine hours reported having trouble staying awake in school. More importantly, the Berkeley study emphasized that bedtime is important for adolescents as it sets a healthier weight course in adulthood.

To explain the findings, the study surmises that teens tend to eat junk if they stayed up late. CBS also reported that studies in the past have found irregular sleep can cause metabolic disturbances.

The study has been published in the journal Sleep.