A survey of over 1,400 Britons suggests that technology is playing an increasing role in bedrooms across the country.

Around one in three people answer phone calls or send SMS and emails in bed, and around 20 per cent take a laptop to bed to check on internet sites.

Over one in five lists setting their alarm on a BlackBerry or mobile as a key night-time activity.

"Busy night time routines are driving couples' bedtimes and even their bedrooms apart," said Jessica Alexander of The Sleep Council which commissioned the research.

"Nine per cent of those questioned admitted to always sleeping separately from their partner."

The survey found that in terms of bed routines more than twice as many people checked that they had plugged in their electronic devices to recharge than prayed.

It also highlighted interesting regional variations. People in East Anglia are more likely to use the phone in bed, while more people in the South East use a BlackBerry to wake up than anyone else.

Meanwhile, those in the North East are most likely to use an MP3 player in bed, and nearly double the national average of Yorkshire residents send emails in bed.