Diabetes Health in the News Podcast: Late Bedtime Could Lead to Weight Gain for Teenagers

A new study indicates that late weeknight bedtimes could be a risk factor for teens becoming overweight. Researchers used data from about 3,000 American teens in the study. It was found that for every extra hour a teen stayed up a night; they experienced a BMI increase of two points. Other factors like exercise, time spent on the computer, and total sleep time did not seem to affect the link between BMI increase and late bedtimes.

While the study does not show a cause-and-effect relationship, the link should serve as an important reminder to parents.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teens should be getting at least nine hours of sleep per night for optimal health.

These findings were published in Sleep on October 2015.