The credit crunch and fears over personal finance are causing workers in the UK to suffer from a lack of sleep, new research has suggested.

Conducted by Travelodge, the study indicated that three-quarters of such people reported getting less that the prescribed eight hours each night of the working week.

The employees found to be most affected by the current economic slowdown were estate agents, who admitted to only getting an average of five hours and 50 minutes sleep per night.

"It is no surprise that the professions in the industries worst hit by the credit crunch come top of the charts. We all know that money worries and job security are key drivers of stress which in turn, leads to significant sleep loss," stated Leigh McCarron, Travelodge’s director of sleep.

As well as a lack of sleep, workers may be suffering from experiencing too little sunlight, with figures produced recently by BT suggesting that the majority of people employed in offices see less than an hour’s natural light per day.