THE midlife crisis is now affecting people as young as 35, according to British research out today.

The study blames a shift in work culture that means that if men are less than halfway up the career ladder by their mid-30s, they are unlikely to get to the top - with the average age of a chief executive now 48, down from 59 a generation ago.

Therefore around 35, excessive work often collides with young children as well as anxiety over money, mortgages, pensions and aging parents, in a toxic mix.

More than 2000 people of all ages were interviewed for the study by UK marriage guidance service Relate.

Those aged from 35 to 44 were the loneliest, most dissatisfied with their marriage and unhappiest at work.

Twenty-one percent of the group said that they felt lonely a lot of the time, compared with 13 percent of people aged above 65 -- the group traditionally associated with loneliness.

In the younger group 28 percent said that they had left a job because of a difficult relationship with a colleague or boss, the highest in any group. One in five had had depression because of relationship problems and almost a third wanted to cut their working hours, again the highest of any group.

The majority of respondents said that they were having sex between one and three times a week. One in five had sex less than once a year and 8.3 per cent not at all. Among those aged 45 to 54 one in ten was not having sex at all.

Two in five people were satisfied with their sex life, one in five said it was "adequate" and one in ten "disappointing". Just fewer than eight percent described their sex life as "mind-blowing".

Men and women said the most annoying thing in their marriage was not being listened to. For women, snoring was next. For men it was having to see their wife’s "poor choice" of TV show.

Counselors say that many couples spend evenings with one on the computer while the other watches TV, denying them the "shared experience that can lead to conversation".

Occupational psychology professor Cary Cooper from the UK's Lancaster University, who advised on the project, said people had to "work smarter" by using technology to work more flexibly and productively.

