More than one in four of us are finding it so hard to switch off from work that we cannot resist using a mobile device such as a laptop before bed, according to a survey by data protection specialist CREDANT Technologies.

The survey also found, of those that do use mobile devices in bed, 57% do so for between two and six hours every week, while 8% said they spend more time using such devices than talking to their partners.

Michael Callahan, vice-president at Credant Technologies, says: “This survey confirms that there is a growing population that is no longer restricted by working hours or confined to the office building itself. People are mobile and will work anywhere – even in bed. 

“Therefore, when sensitive and valuable data is being held on these devices and they get lost, it can have pretty detrimental and far-reaching consequences to both the worker and their employer.”