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Developments in IT over the last few years are partially responsible for a lower amount of sleep in the average person, it has been reported.

Tech Republic, a technology news provider, revealed that the uptake of PCs and computing has dragged down the average nightly sleep from eight and a half hours a night to less than seven.

It noted that long-term effects from a regular loss of sleep can include higher chances of getting diabetes, high blood pressure and the increased likelihood of obesity.

On top of this, a lack of rest can result in several other problems including a weakened immune system, impaired memory, irritability and decreased manual dexterity and alertness.

It added: "Naturally, most of us in the IT industry have formed an especially close bond with the net, making us more prone to losing sleep."

Natural News recently noted that turning off electronic accessories at night could help sleep as otherwise the array of lights could light up a room "like a Christmas tree".

More than half of small businesses (53%) believe that the most important benefit of outsourcing is guaranteed response times for IT support, London based Connect conducted the research in 2007.