36% of UK adults admit to using the internet or a mobile app to see how much money is in their account during their usual sleeping hours, according to research by the Nationwide Building Society.

32% say they have done financial jobs during their usual sleeping hours because they have difficulty sleeping. However, 27% say night-time is the only chance to get these activities done, whereas 13% say it is because there was nothing on television.

The most popular night-time activities were:

• 30% use sites such as Amazon and eBay to do online shopping
• 19%, nearly one-in-five, download music or apps
• 16% organise and pay for holidays, activities or travel
• 14% pay household bills, such as gas, electric and council tax
• 8% shop online for food
• 5% gamble or play casino games online
• 4% apply for a credit card or personal loan

The research also shows that the younger people are, the more likely they are to undertake some sort of financial activity during the night. More than half (51%) of those aged 18 to 24 admit they have used the internet or a mobile app to check the balance on their current account, while in excess of two in five (42%) say they have also downloaded music or apps and 45% claim they shop on sites such as Amazon and eBay. And while more than a third (37%) of 18 to 24s say they do these activities because of difficulty sleeping, more than a quarter (27%) said it was because there was nothing else to do.

Graham Pilkington, Nationwide’s divisional director for banking, said: “Whether it is because, nowadays, technology makes it easier to check your finances anywhere, anytime, or because people are simply keener to be as up to date as possible with their money, it’s staggering to see that a third of people check their bank balance during the night.

“In fact, during the week commencing 3 November, more than 400,000 people logged on to Nationwide’s Online Bank or mobile app during sleeping hours.”