Getting a good night’s sleep can help boost your physical and mental health. But many people often find themselves either struggling to settle down or waking up in the middle of the night unable to drift off back to sleep.

Now, Dr Jack Mosley, whose father Dr Michael Mosley pioneered the 5:2 weight loss programme, has revealed his top tip for getting back to sleep if you wake at night. Jack, along with his mother Dr Claire Bailey Mosley, has continued his father’s work with weight loss.

He now leads the Fast 800 Online Programme, which aims to promote “rapid weight loss” over 12 weeks by using 800-calorie meal plans. A specialist in weight management, Jack says sleep is vital for people wanting to lose weight or improve their general health.

• Binman says food waste 'won't be collected' if 1 item is spotted inside


• 'I woke at 3am after dream premonition - days later I was in surgery'

He explains that many people when they’re struggling to sleep can find themselves reaching for unhealthy snacks. Speaking to The Mirror, Jack said: “I would say that sleep is absolutely vital and it is so important to look at your overall lifestyle and make some of these changes because we know there are studies where people who are sleep deprived ate up to 400 calories more per day, sleep can affect your mental health too.

“When we’re tired and stressed, we’re not reaching for the broccoli, we’re reaching for the carby snacks and getting that quick energy boost. So sleep is so vital and prioritising your sleep is so vital.”

Jack encourages people to make sure they have a good routine before bed. It’s an idea backed by the NHS, which states that a “good sleep routine” including going to bed at the same time and finding a way to relax is “important” for sleep.

Should anyone find themselves struggling to get back to sleep if they wake up in the night, Jack has two simple tricks to help you drift off.

He explained: “If you are someone who is waking up in the night, rather than just sitting there stressing about not getting to sleep, one thing you can do is the four-two-four approach, where you breath in for four seconds, hold your breath for two, and breath out for four.

“The other thing, if that’s not working, is actually taking yourself out of the bedroom for a bit, go to the sofa, read a boring book, and then when you feel tired go back to bed instead of sitting there for hours worrying that you’re not sleeping.”

Jack is leading The Fast 800 Online Programme which he says is a “lifestyle programme”. It offers three types of meal plan, the “Very Fast 800” which uses an 800-calorie plan to lose weight over 12 weeks, the 5:2 intermittent fasting plan, and a long-term Mediterranean diet plan.

It also offers exercise guidance through workout plans, using both high-intensity interval training and resistance exercises as well as educational content that covers the science behind weight loss.

Jack added: “The plan was based on a study that found that 800 calories a day for 12 weeks, this rapid weight loss, can reverse their diabetes, which was not thought possible before and if they kept 10kg of weight off, they could keep their diabetes in remission.

“It progressed from there to be this overall lifestyle support system for people who want to have this rapid weight loss and improve their metabolic health but also, there’s people who want to do it more gradually by fasting, like the 5:2, which my dad famously popularised.

“It’s also there to help people with other aspects that we know are so important in your health like exercise, including aerobic, and also mindfulness. It’s this real complete support system and helps provide people with a group of people to do it with who are on the same page.”