'I'm too tired' has become the most used excuse to avoid sex, according to a survey.
'I've got a headache'' has now fallen to number three in the list behind ''I'm not in the mood''.
Other white lies to make the top five included ''I've got to get up early in the morning'' and ''I'm pre-occupied with work''.
The trend emerged in a study of 4,000 adults which also revealed one in five Brits regularly make excuses to avoid having sex.
Seven out of 10 said they were often too exhausted to enjoy sex and four out of 10 said the recession had played havoc with their sex life.
A spokesman for www.OnePoll.com, which carried out the study, said: ''The humble headache has had its day as far as excuses are concerned.
''Tiredness plays a much bigger part in our reasons not to climb between the sheets these days and enjoy some quality time together.
''And its hardly surprising when we are all working longer hours than ever before and have so many things to worry about.
''Fears over whether will be able to pay our mortgages or even whether we will have a job in a month's time are bound to affect our bedroom performance.
''It was intriguing to see just how the recession has affected our passion levels too.''
The report also found men are more likely to make excuses than women with 27 per cent admitting they often avoided sex compared to 18 per cent of women.
But while one in two blokes said they made excuses because they were genuinely too tired to make love three quarters of women said they put their partner off because they couldn't be bothered.
Worryingly, one in three men said they made excuses because they didn't fancy their wife or lover anymore, compared to around one in five women who said they same thing.
Four out of 10 women admitted pretending they were asleep compared to five out of 10 men.
And four out of 10 men said they avoided getting into bed at the same time as their partner in case they suggested sex.
One in in five women said they same thing.
Regionally women in the midlands are most likely to make excuses while men in Yorkshire will also do their best to avoid a romp.
TOP TEN SEX EXCUSES
1. Too tired
2. I'm not in the mood
3. I've got a headache
4. I've got to get up in the morning
5. I'm pre-occupied with work
6. I'm angry with you
7. I can hear one of the children
8. You need a shower
9. I've got a bad back
10. Too soon in our relationship
Source
