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It's that moment many of us dread - a colleague or date overhearing us in the loo.

From tissues to a running tap, there are various tricks millions of us use to avoid the shame of being heard.

And research has revealed there is even an embarrassment scale.

Scientists at Indiana University discovered that we're most comfortable with a spouse overhearing us - and most mortified if a crush is in earshot.

There are various tricks millions of us use to avoid the shame of being heard in the loo - with women most embarrassed at being head, researchers say (file picture posed by model)

In terms of the sexes, straight women and gay men were most bothered about being heard, they say. 

At the other end of the scale, lesbian women were the most relaxed about noisy bodily functions, even more than straight men.

Unsurprisingly, men were much more comfortable breaking wind in public than women.  

And when it comes to muffling the sound, the researchers discovered many of us employ an array of tricks.

'Some persons controlled their sphincter muscles to let out gas or excrement slowly, thus decreasing the sound of their bowel movement,' Discover quoted from the research. 

One heterosexual man stated: 'If it is going to be loud, I would stop and go, meaning let it out in intervals so it would not be a big kerplunk sound'. 

Other techniques included having a bowel movement early in the morning or late at night, using a loo geographically far away in the building, using loo roll to dampen the sound, turning the fan on or avoiding public/shared loos entirely.

The research, involving 172 university students, specifically examined the 'social concerns that can accompany defecation and flatulence'. 

It was published in the journal Social Problems.  

In 2011, authors Matt and Enzo wrote the book How to Poo at Work.

The paperback purports to be 'the ultimate guide to handling a range of potentially awkward situations, providing readers with the golden rules and knowledge for pooing in the workplace successfully when unexpected/awkward situations arise. 

These include what do to when the boss is in the next cubicle, when the toilet gets clogged, when a colleague follows you into a smelly cubicle and when there's no toilet paper. 

Common techniques people used to avoid being overheard included having a bowel movement early in the morning or late at night, using a loo geographically far away in the house, using loo roll to dampen the sound, turning the fan on or avoiding public loos entirely