"Complain that I'm grumpy just one more time, and ...."
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.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
Don't even look at me in the morning, let alone speak to me.
Somehow I think if it were the guy getting up all night with the baby - or older kids peeing their bed, then this would be reversed.
In the morning people have gotten to the point of not even speaking to me until I speak to them first.
Good thing Mrs. Slim is still asleep when I leave!
LOL! I am permitted to sleep as late as I wish. :)
Well ... if you were to turn off my alarm clock because you didn't like it being so loud and never woke me up so I could get the kids up and get ready for school on time .. all before I've had a few cups of coffee
Yea ... I might rip your head off in the morning
Other then that .. I can be very pleasant :0)
I can be pleasant, as long as I am allowed all my sleep.
That means don't even think about talking to me, or touching me before my alarm goes off.
After that, when I'm resigned to get up, I'm fine.
At that point I'm the one with the cheery "Good Morning!"
I long for the days when I can sleep as long as I wish
But that ain't happening till at least 2018
"Complain that I'm grumpy just one more time, and ...."
According to the Aztec calender, it all ends sometime in December, 2012. I plan to be asleep.
;-)
What's happening in 2018?
"I didn't wake up crabby...
he woke up all by himself".
Somewhat related....an old Dean Martin joke....
"I feel sorry for people who don't drink, because when they wake up, that's as good as they're gonna feel for the rest of the day..."
My youngest becomes of legal age and I can legally ignore them all *L*
You mean ignoring them is illegal?
;-D
Men start drinking earlier.
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