'Wo-man flu' lasts 20 per cent longer and has worse symptoms than 'man flu', with 21 per cent of women going to bed on the first day of a cold, compared to 16 per cent of men
Men have long been figures of fun when it comes to suffering a bout of the flu.
But a new survey has found it's actually women who struggle to deal with their symptoms - and complain the most.
Female flu lasts 20 per cent longer and has worse symptoms than 'man flu', with 21 per cent of women going to bed on the first day of a cold, compared to 16 per cent of men.
The fairer sex are also more likely to complain about their illness - but a quarter admit they do it just to get sympathy, according to new research.
In contrast, 13 per cent of men say they want 'tough love' to help them power through, while 14 per cent say that when they have a cold they want people to make them laugh as that will help them feel better.
Runny noses are the most moaned about symptom for women, while men rate sore throats as the worst symptom.
The research, commissioned by Beechams, also found women are twice as likely to use their symptoms as an excuse to get out of something they do not want to do.
One in five women use their ailment as an excuse to avoid meeting up with someone, one in six avoid chores, and six per cent use it for getting out of something their partner wants to do.
However, neither sex can stand losing their spark when they get a cold, with a third hating their lack of energy and one in three women, and one in five men, listing feeling 'foggy' and unable to concentrate as one of the worst symptoms.
Mothers were found to be twice as likely to take at least four days of work a year with flu when compared with women without children.
Nine per cent of men, and five per cent of women, claim they never get colds.
Some 13 per cent of men say they want 'tough love' to help them power through, while 14 per cent say that when they have a cold they want people to make them laugh as that will help them feel better
Mona Sheikh, from Beechams, said: 'Everyone’s heard of "man flu" but it’s really interesting to see that our results suggest that "wo-man flu" may actually be worse and even last longer.
'We know that the stages of a cold affect people in different ways, so we conducted this research to better understand how a cold impacts on people’s lives - and how they cope with it.
'The average person gets on average two to four colds per year and we know how it feels - no one likes losing their spark and missing out due to a cold (unless you’re faking it!)
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2481221/Forget-man-flu-WOMEN-suffer-complain-most.html#ixzz2jKDeZ77h
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