Moment of truth: Women wake up grumpier in the morning than men, according to a survey.

More women than men said they had been accused by work colleagues of "being in a strop" first thing in the morning, the survey found. The poll also said that men get up earlier, hit the ground running and are more on the ball when they arrive at work.

More than half of the 2,000 adults quizzed said they cannot bear to talk to anyone until at least 8am '" over an hour after the average wake-up time of 6.49am, the Daily Express reported.

The survey by the makers of the Zombie Underground game app also found that almost a third dodge conversation with their colleagues first thing in their morning, while a fifth even ignore their children.

"Waking up knowing you have a long and stressful day ahead of you can put you in a bad mood before you have even stepped out of bed," spokesman Jon Lucas said. "And it seems many people are dealing with their bad moods by ignoring those around them and avoiding all conversation. But you never know, having a chat with someone could help pull you out of your dark mood," Lucas said.