Excessive use of internet 'causing sleep problems'

A new survey has revealed that one out of 10 people do not sleep properly at night in order to stay in touch on the internet.

In the poll conducted by Nytol last December, more than 50 percent of 2000 people polled admitted that they went online while in bed trying to sleep, News.com.au reported.

It was found that one in five said that they needed to check their Twitter, Facebook or email accounts because they have a "fear of missing out", while just one in 10 described their quality of sleep as "good".

The survey suggested that while almost half of the respondents went straight from the couch to bed, less than 15 minutes after switching off the TV, two in five checked emails or social media accounts straight before bed, and one in four thought they were addicted to checking emails and social media in bed.