Posted on 10/25/2006 4:04:40 PM PDT by MadIvan
Maybe it's that withering look she gives you as she clatters her coffee cup or perhaps she's just plain snappy, but men have for years bemoaned the perils of early mornings with their better halves.
Millions of chaps across the country have come to agree that the best way to avoid the outbreak of World War Three over breakfast is to keep well away until the bad tempered creature that came from beneath the duvet (aka the wife) lightens up a bit.
New research has confirmed they have every right to be wary. It found that not only are women grumpier than men first thing, but also that they remain in a foul mood for longer.
A survey by The Sleep Council showed a quarter of men never wake up in a bad mood, compared to just one in seven women.
And reeling from a sleepless night, caused mainly by stress and worry, 13 per cent of the so-called fairer sex will remain in a bad mood for up to four hours, compared to ten per cent of men.
Jessica Alexander of the Sleep Council said women's grumpiness may be worsened because they shoulder most of the household chores in the morning.
"Twenty-eight per cent of women as opposed to only 5 per cent of men do any housekeeping before going to work," she said.
"It also tends to be them that prepares the breakfast, spends time with the children, check their emails and attend to their beauty regime. Women far outweigh men in having a busy and packed morning.
"So what do men do? Apparently just get up and go out: 17 per cent of them spend only 10 minutes on their wake up and get out routine."
The survey, published for national sleep-in day on October 29 when the clocks go back and people get an extra hour in bed, found that four in ten people believe a disturbed night is the main reason for grumpiness in the morning.
Nearly one in five of the population (18 per cent) say they never really get a good night's sleep.
But sleep secrets vary greatly between the sexes. For 18 per cent per cent of men it's nothing a stiff drink can't fix, while 19 per cent admitted sex was the key.
However, more than half of the women asked would rather tuck themselves in with a good book and 28 per cent said soaking in a hot bath sent them off to sleep. But seven per cent admitted resorting to sleeping pills to ensure a peaceful slumber.
A quarter of the 2,105 people who completed the online survey those cited general stress and worry as a reason for early morning moodiness, while 15 per cent just find it hard climbing out of a warm and comfortable bed.
Those over 45 years old suffer most in the sleep starvation stakes with 44 per cent saying they never get a good night's sleep. This could be down to their teenage kids who are the moodiest of all, with 25 per cent staying so for up to four hours after waking.
Regionally, Londoners are Britain's grumpiest with nearly one in five staying crabby for between two and four hours in the morning, the survey found.
Worst areas for bad sleepers are Yorkshire and the north east where only seven percent get seven nights of good sleep. In the south east, people get twice as much good sleep with 14 percent enjoying seven sound nights' sleep.
Miss Alexander said: "In London, it seems stress is the most likely cause for waking up in a bad mood, because many capital dwellers tend to be better sleepers."
Londoners also exercise most in the morning to get their day off to a good start. People in the north-west are quickest at getting ready for work with more than a third doing so in under 20 minutes.
Speak for yourself. ;^)
Poor Mo1 can sleep in late approximately 12 years from now. :)
And rain falls down....
I'm not awake until noon....
Bad news is often I've already put in 5 hours of work.
Not good.
I've already had 14 years of no sleep .. Hey what's another 12 years :0(
For whatever reason, my wife and every woman I've dated prior, has always been a royal grump on sunday nights.
What?
You couldn't find that, "Master of the Obvious," picture for this post?!
;-)
ping
And when I know THAT won't work, either?
I take my Sons and hide in a mall/park/WalMart/parking lot/ miles from home. I know better.
Now I know. Stay out of her way. Far away.
(Yes, hon, I will sleep on the couch. LOL)
Please--it's because the guy was snoring all night keeping us awake!
Ahhhh......
This would explain the other study which found the following disparity;
59% of men and 19% of women think about sex all of the time.
me? grumpy? never!
well maybe after a night of listening to buzz saws ;)
I've known for years I'm not fit to talk to in the morning. My solution has always been to get up at least an hour earlier where I can have my quiet time and attitude adjustment because having an asinine argument absolutely ruins my day. Much better if I lose an hour of sleep than to mull over things said during an early morning argument.
Recent stories of interest and my take:
Report finds sex always on men's minds
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1725349/posts
Wow. That’s a real shocker. Who would have guessed?
Moderate drinking reduces men's heart attack risk
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1725361/posts
Great... So the obnoxious oversexed drunk guys I meet will live longer.
Mobile phones wreaking havoc with sperm
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1725083/posts
Well at least obnoxious, oversexed, old drunk guys with cell phones in constant use trying to hook up with younger hot babes, won’t be able to reproduce.
It's official: Women more grumpy than men in the morning
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1725905/posts
Go figure. I you woke up next to an obnoxious, oversexed, old drunk guy with a cell phone, you’d be grumpy too.
Not too much sex please, we are still British you know
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1725502/posts
Evidently none of the above is a problem in England.
Don't EVER come toward me in the morning all chipper and talkative. You will get warned only once...
My Sweetness must be the exception that proves the rule.
I've never loved mornings so much as in the last four months.
Hmmmm, errr, depends on the night!
Very true, very true.
Although I will confess to being exceptionally grumpy when I have to get up at 3 a.m. to travel halfway across Europe, but it's not really the waking up that causes that.
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