Researchers have found that while a baby's cry is the number one sound most likely to wake up even an exhausted woman, it doesn't even figure in the male top ten, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
Men are likely to wake up by the noises of car alarms, howling wind and a buzzing fly.
Psychologist Dr David Lewis, who led the study, said: "There is nothing more likely to leave you feeling drained and depressed than disturbed sleep, especially when this happens over several nights.
"As this unique study shows while some sounds, for instance your partner coughing or snoring beside you, disturb men and women equally, other noises such as a howling wind cause men to be more disturbed than women.
"Women are more likely to be disturbed by a crying baby. These differing sensitivities may represent evolutionary differences that make women sensitive to sounds associated with a potential threat to their children while men are more finely tuned to disturbances posing a possible threat to the whole family."
The researchers have based their findings on an analysis of tests measuring subconscious brain activity in both males and females.
They found that a woman's maternal instincts kick in at the sound of a baby's cries whether or not she is actually a mother. It was also discovered that women are more likely than men to find their sleep disturbed and men are more likely to be able to go back to sleep once they have been woken up.
The tests were carried out at the MindLab institution as part of research into the importance of a good night's sleep.