Britain is a nation of morning people according to a new poll by Hillarys
You may have found it hard to get out of bed this morning, but new research shows (surprisingly) that Britain is a country of morning people.
Almost three quarters (72 per cent) of respondents in a poll identified themselves as a "morning person", with morning people being defined as those who feel liveliest, happiest and most productive in the morning hours.
The poll, which was conducted by blind manufacturer Hillarys and took results from 2,976 Britons aged 18 and over from across the UK, also found that those who consider themselves morning people are generally happier all round than those who don't and are most likely to live in the south of the UK.
However, it turned out there were some drawbacks to all this morning enthusiasm.
Of those who stated they were not morning people, two fifths (43 per cent) said they found people who fell into the other camp "annoying" and a further 12 per cent confessed that they "actively avoid" morning people.
The research also found the average morning person is even an earlier riser at weekends, getting up at 8.15am on average, compared to 10.30am for a non-morning person. Although during the week, this was slightly reversed, with morning people waking at 7.30am on average and non-morning folk rising at 6.45am.
The grumpiest region of the UK, with the least number of self-identified morning people, was the North East – no respondents from that area said they were a morning person.
"There’s a bit of an ongoing joke about morning people being annoying and everyone being grumpy until they’ve had their cup of tea or coffee, but according to these results it seems that Britain is actually a nation of chirpy early-birds," Zoe Ashton, a spokeswoman for Hillarys, said.
"Looking at the results more seriously, there is an apparent correlation between people who consider themselves to be morning people and those who think they are generally happier. So it’s worth trying to figure out how you can make your mornings happier, from getting an earlier night through to being better prepared for the day ahead."