London - So much for chivalry. When there’s a bump in the night, one in five men are happy to send their wife to investigate, a poll found – while they cower under the duvet.
In fact, a quarter of men pretend to be asleep if they hear a strange noise while they’re in bed, according to a survey.
And perhaps it’s not surprising that they’re reluctant to leap into knight in shining armour mode – a fifth of chaps readily admit that their wife is braver than they are.
But for the women involved, their courage can prove tiresome. They have 11 sleepless nights each month, compared with only eight for men.
Four in ten of the 2 000 adults surveyed said they had been woken by a noise in the dark, convinced someone was breaking in.
Although our imaginations can run wild, the reality is usually less scary – the most common nocturnal disturbances are thunder, heavy rain, car alarms, cats fighting and phones.
Two thirds of women and just over half of men have a nightly routine which involves checking the locks on doors and windows.
But 44 percent of women and 28 percent of men often lie in bed worrying they have missed a lock, which for a fifth of couples then develops into an argument about who should get up to look.
The survey was commissioned by security company Yale and a spokesman said: “Things that go bump in the night more often than not turn out to be false alarms.
“However, it is still important to ensure home security is a priority.” - Daily Mail