Proof positive that women are tougher and  that men are glad to let us prove it . A new survey has shown that chivalry be darned when there’s a bump in the night, one in five men are happy to send their wife downstairs to investigate. Moreover, a quarter of men pretend to still be asleep if they hear a strange noise while they’re in bed.

Here is a shocker, the survey also revealed that 2 in 10 men actually admit their wife is braver than they are.

As for women, all that bravado is a double edged sword as they also report they have 11 sleepless nights each month, compared with only eight for men.

Although we know the reality is it is probably nothing, our imaginations can run wild – the most common nocturnal disturbances are thunder, heavy rain, car alarms, cats fighting and phones. Of the 2,000 adults surveyed four in ten of the said they had been woken by a noise in the dark, convinced someone was breaking in.

About half of the women surveyed and  one quarter of the men said they have stayed in bed worrying about what they heard and whether or not they remembered to lock up.

The survey was commissioned by security company Yale whose representative reminded readers: ‘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.’

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