Men respond to different sounds when sleeping compared to women, and may not wake at all to the sound of a crying baby, research has suggested.Lemsip Max All Night Cold & Flu Tablets commissioned research with MindLab on what sounds people respond to while asleep.Women were found to wake to the sound of a crying baby, dripping taps, arguing outside the house and snoring.Men, on the other hand, are more likely to be woken in bed by the sound of strong wind, car alarms and drain noises. Crying babies apparently failed to even register on the scale of male sleep disturbances.Psychologist Dr David Lewis of MindLab said of the results: "These differing sensitivities may represent evolutionary differences that make women sensitive to sounds associated with a potential threat to their children while men are tuned to disturbances posing a threat to the whole family."The work follows research published last month by the Northwestern University in Chicago, which suggested people can hear sounds when asleep, improving their memories.
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