A new survey has confirmed the belief of many men - that women are the grumpier sex first thing in the morning.

They are not only grumpier more often, they also stay in a bad mood for longer.

The survey by the Sleep Council found 24% of men said they never woke up grumpy, as opposed to only 14% of women.

It also found 13% of women stayed in a bad mood for two to four hours, compared to 10% of men.

Almost half of those questioned - 41% - blamed lack of sleep as the main reason for being cranky in the morning.

The council's Jessica Alexander said women's grumpiness could perhaps be explained by the quality of sleep they were getting.

Only 9% of women sleep well every night, compared to 15% of men.

Nearly three in 10 women blamed their partner's snoring for their sleep problems, but only 13% of men said their partner's snoring was to blame.

"As men appear to sleep better than women, perhaps it's not surprising that more women than men get out of bed on the wrong side," said Ms Alexander.

Women's grumpiness could also be put down to the fact they have more to do before setting off for work.

More than a quarter of women - 28% - do housekeeping before work, compared with just 5% of men.

"It also tends to be them that prepares the breakfast, spends time with the children, check their emails and attend to their beauty regime."

Londoners stayed grumpy the longest, with 19% maintaining a bad mood for two to four hours.