A poor night’s sleep is likely to make you fatter, research suggests.

Those who get less than seven hours' sleep a night were found to consume the equivalent of an extra four slices of toast a day.

The systematic review by King’s College London found that those who were sleep-deprived consumed an average of 385 calories per day more than those who slept for longer.

Researchers said that that disruption to the body clock appears to affect the hormone ghrelin which controls hunger and the hormone leptin, which dictates feelings of fullness.

Other studies have also found that sleep deprivation resulted in greater activation of areas in the brain associated with reward when people were exposed to food.