A study has linked sleeping late to weight gain in teens and adults. The study by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, suggested that the time at which teenagers go to sleep plays an important role when it is about weight gain. Teenagers who sleep late at night are more at risk to gain extra weight than their peers who choose to sleep early, according to the study.

The study found that teenagers who choose to go to bed late are more likely to gain weight because they usually consume junk food late at night. Lauren Asarnow, lead author of the study, said the study is the first of its kind that has found a relationship between time to go to bed and weight gain in teenagers and even in healthy adults. The sleep duration also plays a role in weight gain, Asarnow added.

"So, you're more likely to gain weight going to bed at 2 a.m. then you are at 9 p.m., regardless of how much sleep you're getting," said Asarnow.

According to the study's authors, they found that most young people choose to sleep late at night. The study included about 3,000 individual between the ages of 18 and 24. According to the study, about 6% participants go to bed after 11 pm. Individuals who prefer to sleep late at night gain more weight than their peers who sleep early. Females, who go to sleep late at night, can gain about 12 pounds throughout their adolescence.

"These results highlight adolescent bedtimes, not just total sleep time, as a potential target for weight management during the transition to adulthood," said Lauren Asarnow, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in UC Berkeley's Golden Bear Sleep and Mood Research Clinic.