Dr Ramlakhan, who offers sleep coaching and is author of Tired But Wired: How to Overcome Your Sleep Problems, said "Believe it or not, eating breakfast can help you sleep. It's as simple as this, if you don't breakfast, your body believes it is living in famine and produces stress hormones that are not conducive to restful sleep.
"But by eating breakfast, you're letting your body know there is enough food and you are living in safety, which in turn switches on your sleep, energy systems.
"What's more, eating breakfast can help you lose weight by speeding your metabolism by up to 10 per cent. It has a 'thermogenic' effect that can last hours after eating. Think of it like putting fuel into a fire and getting a bigger fire.
"Eight almonds and two dates is a brilliant start to the day for anyone as they wake up."
Dr Laura Hardie, the study's senior investigator, added "Because we found that adults who reported sleeping less than their peers were more likely to be overweight or obese, our findings highlight the importance of getting enough sleep.
"How much sleep we need differs between people, but the current consensus is that seven to nine hours is best for most adults."
Dr Ramlakhan's, who also advises the British bed maker Silentnight, added: "Not getting enough sleep forces our body into crisis or survival mode.
"We start to run on adrenaline which makes us conserve energy and store fat particularly around the middle - this is called 'trunkal thickening' - and we start breaking down our muscles.
"Being tired also makes us more reliant on caffeine and refined sugars during the day and these are all substances that will make us put on weight.
"Often people who have difficulty getting to sleep delay going to bed, and then snack as a procrastinating exercise or drink alcohol mistakenly believing it will make them more tired; these are all excess calories that will lead to weight gain".
