This One Simple Thing Could Help You Avoid Gaining The Freshman 15

What if we told you the only thing you have to do to avoid gaining the Freshman 15 is go to bed an hour earlier?

OK, so you can't stuff your face day and night, either.

A recent study followed 3,342 teenagers into adulthood between 1994 and 2009 and found something interesting: For every hour later these teens went to sleep during the week, they had an average BMI increase of two points.

In other words, college students who go to bed earlier -- and as a result probably get more sleep -- generally weigh less.

This isn't the first time science found a correlation between sleep and weight.

Previous research suggested when we don't get enough sleep, our bodies produce more grehlin (the hunger hormone). This spikes our appetites, causing us to eat more and inevitably gain weight.

That large pizza you ordered and ate all by yourself the morning after your last all-nighter is starting to make more sense now, right?

Please do yourself a favor and go to bed an hour earlier tonight.

Citations: Evidence for a Possible Link between Bedtime and Change in Body Mass Index (SLEEP)