Social networkers so addicted they wake up in the night to check on their profiles

(Doreen Salcher)

A new study reveals that increasing numbers of social network users check their Facebook and Twitter accounts in the middle of the night when they can't sleep. Some social networkers even revealed that they would look at messages while having sex.

The study, conducted on March 16 by consumer electronics site Retrevo, found that 30 percent of Twitter and Facebook users would check their accounts any time they woke up during the night.

Forty-seven percent of people in the study said they check their social network sometimes during the night. Fifty-three percent raced to look at what had happened on their social network as soon as they woke up.

People under the age of 25 were more likely to lose sleep keeping an eye on their friends' posts during the night.

iPhone users and the under 25s were also much more likely to check their social networks in the morning to find out what was happening in the world - replacing morning TV shows like Good Morning America with social media "news," said the study.

When it came to using social networks during the day, more than 40 percent of respondents said they didn't mind being interrupted by a message from their social network.

Seven percent even said they would read a message during sex.

A September 2009 study conducted by Crowd Science on people's social networking habits showed that Twitter and Facebook users were so integrated with their online social networks that many of them checked their accounts when they were in the toilet, while driving a car or even during a religious service.

Retrevo's Gadgetology Report was based on the responses of more than 1000 people located in the US.