Buzzing flies more likely to wake men than crying babies

Men are more likely to be woken up by the sound of a buzzing fly or howling wind than by a crying baby, new research shows.

However for women, whether or not they are mothers, there is no other noise more likely to stop them sleeping than that of a wailing infant, according to scientific tests measuring brain activity.

The results of the study into which sounds most disrupt the usual patterns of activity in the brain suggest a marked difference in the sexes.

For men, the sound that most stops them sleeping is a car alarm going off nearby, followed by the howling of the wind and the buzzing of a fly. The sound of a baby crying does not even register on the top ten of sounds likely to distub their slumber, according to research.



Top ten sounds most likely to wake men:

1.Car alarm; 2.Howling wind; 3.Buzzing fly; 4.Snoring; 5.Noise from drains; 6.Crickets chirruping; 7.Sirens; 8.Clock ticking; 9.Drilling/workmen 10.Dripping tap;

Top ten sounds most likely to wake women:

1.Baby crying; 2.Dripping tap; 3.Rowdiness; 4.Snoring; 5.Buzzing fly; 6.Drilling/workmen; 7.Sirens; 8.Car alarm; 9.Howling wind; 10.Noise from drains.