That unsettling sensation is all too familiar to many: you're lying in bed, drifting toward sleep, when suddenly you experience a sensation of falling. Your stomach lurches, your body undergoes a sudden spasm, and your limbs or even your upper torso might involuntarily jerk or twitch. In a split second, all the tranquility you've achieved disappears, leaving you disoriented, frustrated – or simply wondering: what exactly just occurred?

If this resonates with you, you're far from alone: research indicates that approximately 70% of the population experiences this phenomenon at least once in their lifetime. Furthermore, about 10% of people experience it regularly. This peculiar occurrence is known medically as a "sleep start" or "hypnagogic jerk." It's named after the sleep transition phase during which it occurs – hypnagogia represents the transitional state between wakefulness and sleep. Despite being documented for decades, scientists still struggle to pinpoint its exact cause.

Professor Allen Richert, director of the Sleep Medicine Institute at the University of Mississippi, explains, "This is an organized muscle movement, so it requires central nervous system communication. But what stimulates this movement, and where and why it happens – to the best of my knowledge, is unknown."

Research has shown that these movements are classified as involuntary muscle contractions (myoclonus), similar to hiccups or epileptic episodes. However, experts emphasize there's no cause for alarm or need for medical imaging – this is an entirely normal occurrence that doesn't indicate any underlying health concerns.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine presents multiple potential explanations for the phenomenon, though the spectrum is so broad that reaching a definitive conclusion remains challenging. The academy notes that excessive caffeine consumption or other stimulants can trigger these episodes, as can elevated stress levels and vigorous physical activity. Sleep deficit may also play a role. Paradoxically, the phenomenon can manifest in extreme fatigue and heightened alertness.

Researchers have proposed various intriguing theories to explain this phenomenon. One research team suggests that the sensation occurs when a sudden drop in blood pressure and muscle relaxation triggers a momentary panic response in the brain. Another hypothesis, yet to be confirmed, connects the phenomenon to an evolutionary survival mechanism from our prehistoric ancestors – a reflex designed to prevent falling from heights during sleep.

Richert notes that no medications or behavioral modifications have been scientifically proven to prevent these episodes. Nevertheless, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advocates several preventive measures, including avoiding caffeine and other stimulants before bedtime, stress reduction techniques, and maintaining consistent sleep patterns.

The reassuring aspect is that unless these episodes – or anxiety about them – interfere with your daily functioning, medical consultation isn't necessary. While the "sleep start" phenomenon remains an evolutionary enigma, it shouldn't be a source of significant concern for most people.

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A new study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in London indicates that catching up on sleep during weekends may significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. The research, conducted by cardiovascular experts in China, found that individuals who got the most extra sleep on weekends were 19% less likely to develop heart disease compared to those who slept the fewest additional hours.

The study analyzed data from 90,903 participants in the UK Biobank project, aiming to evaluate the relationship between heart disease and "compensated sleep" – the practice of making up for lost sleep during the weekend. Approximately one in five participants were considered sleep-deprived, getting less than seven hours of sleep per night.

Researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease, Fuwai Hospital, and the National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease in Beijing divided participants into four groups based on their amount of "compensated" weekend sleep. After an average follow-up of nearly 14 years, those who caught up with the most extra sleep on weekends – ranging from just over an hour to about 16 hours – showed a 19% lower risk of developing heart disease compared to the group with the least weekend sleep.

This study adds to the growing body of research highlighting the importance of adequate sleep for overall health. Previous studies have linked insufficient sleep to various health issues, but there has been limited research on how extra weekend sleep affects heart health specifically.

Dr. Muhammad Adeel Rishi, associate professor of medicine in the Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, noted its limitations. "Sleeping longer over the weekend may reduce fatigue and sleepiness; however, [it] may not reduce the risk of obesity in people who are [sleep] deprived," Rishi said.

The study's observational nature means it cannot prove a direct causal relationship between weekend catch-up sleep and improved heart health. Other factors not examined in the study could potentially influence the results.

Additionally, experts caution that sleeping extra hours on weekends may not fully counteract the effects of significant sleep debt accumulated during the week. A 2019 study suggested a link between catch-up sleep behavior and increased snacking and weight gain.

These findings come at a time when many adults struggle to get sufficient sleep. A recent Gallup Poll revealed that only 42% of US adults feel they get as much sleep as they need, while 57% believe they would feel better with more sleep.

While the study provides another reason among many for compensatory weekend sleep, further research is needed to fully understand the complex relationship between sleep patterns and heart health. In the meantime, experts continue to emphasize the importance of consistent, quality sleep throughout the week for overall well-being.

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Researchers from Bar-Ilan University conducted research on DNA damage in zebrafish, which shares a similar genetic structure to humans, to help understand the mysteries surrounding sleep.

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The study was headed by Professor Lior Appelbaum, from BIU's Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, as well as Dr. David Zada, a postdoctoral researcher, a press release from the university detailed.

Scientists found that the feeling of tiredness, which they referred to as homeostatic sleep pressure, is caused by damage to DNA.

Such damage can be prompted by a variety of factors like exposure to UV light, radiation, and oxidative stress, but can be repaired during periods of rest.

To determine if DNA damage prompted the urge to sleep, the researchers exposed zebrafish to several stressors, including radiation.

The experts discovered that as the amount of DNA damage increased, so did the need for sleep, and subsequent mending of the impaired molecule.

Researchers also ran tests on the zebrafish to discern the minimum amount of sleep required to reduce DNA damage, and determined six hours of rest was a long enough period for restoration.

During the study, the Bar-Ilan team also identified the specific protein responsible for initiating DNA repair during sleep, known as PARP1.

PARP1 locates damaged sites along the molecule, and calls on additional systems to mend the areas.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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Video posted on social media Saturday, which showed United States President Joe Biden seemingly falls asleep during a meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, had users speculate whether that was indeed the case.

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Footage was posted on Twitter by Knesset member for Likud Galit Distal Atbaryan. "For some reason, the Israeli media itself fell asleep and did not notice this historical moment," she wrote. "I thought that you should know about this. The man fell asleep and simply does not care."

Video: Knesset Press Office

Biden and Bennett met in Washington on Friday.

"It was a wonderful meeting, especially because it was one-on-one," the prime minister said after. "It was mostly a working meeting. There was a feeling that we've known each other for a long time. I found a leader who loves Israel, knows exactly what he wants, and is attentive to our needs."

In turn, Biden tweeted: "It was an honor to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the White House today [Friday]. We strengthened the enduring partnership between our two nations and underscored the United States' unwavering commitment to Israel's security."

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With too much screen time and too little down time, sleep is becoming a precious commodity, and a venture capital group has launched its first fund to invest in startups worldwide working on science-backed innovations that seek to improve sleep.

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Supermoon Capital, formerly SleepScore Ventures, opened Wednesday with its first venture fund of $36 million targeting the $488 billion sleep economy.

"Sleep is truly the most important but least understood aspect of everyone's daily life that affects our health, happiness, and productivity," said Pat Connolly, co-founder and managing partner of Supermoon Capital.

"We founded Supermoon Capital with the mission to serve as the premier source of capital and expertise for the Night Market. We believe that by reuniting our chronically fatigued world with healthy sleep, we can extend and enhance the lives of millions around the globe," Connolly said.

"We saw an enormous need for a fund entirely focused on sleep; sleep science is a relatively young but quickly growing field, and the science is highly complex," said Michael Masterson, co-founder and managing partner of Supermoon Capital. "Many of the sleep-related products and solutions currently on the market are unfortunately unscientific, unproven, and in some cases unhealthy. What we are seeing is an increasing need for science-based sleep solutions, not just business model innovations or marketing. We aim to bridge the gap between science-driven innovation in sleep and commercialization for the Night Market. We've assembled an arsenal of sleep science resources that help us identify, back, and develop best-in-class early-stage startups from around the world."

Supermoon Capital has assembled a Sleep Science Collective of the world's top sleep scientists, prominent academics, and industry experts across a range of relevant fields in sleep that serves as an extended advisory team to the fund and portfolio. Supermoon Capital's investors include ResMed, a global leader in digital health and the number one provider of connected devices to treat sleep apnea. Supermoon Capital holds an exclusive strategic relationship with SleepScore Labs that provides its portfolio companies with access to the sleep improvement company's innovative science and data-backed products and services.

To date, Supermoon Capital has invested in six early-stage startups comprising a global portfolio that spans a range of technology sectors and industries and includes Israel's Clair Labs, a Tel Aviv-based startup that is developing contact-free technology to provide clinical-grade physiological monitoring.

Founded in 2018 by CEO Adi Berenson and CTO Dr. Ran Margolin, Clair Labs's technology enables continuous, round-the-clock monitoring for physiological markers such as heart rate, respiration, air flow, body temperature, SpO2 and more. The system also monitors behavioral markers, including sleep patterns, distress, tracking changes in the patient's position, detecting their intent to rise, among others. The data is fed to smart learning algorithms which in turn produce accurate evaluations and alerts.

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Now an Israeli food tech startup is stepping in with a solution that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help personalize nutrition.

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The team at myAir, founded in 2019, has developed a patent-pending algorithm based on physiological and psychological data. Users fill out an online questionnaire that helps the algorithm profile their cognitive response to stress, while physiological responses to stress, including alterations in heart rate, respiration, sleep quality, and physical activity, are tracked through smart watches.

The company's algorithm processes this data, then customizes a combination of myAir snack bars to your needs from a wide range of formulas. The personalized combinations are available through a subscription service and delivered monthly to the consumer's doorstep.

The bars, which are vegan, kosher, and gluten-free, are composed of a blend of nuts and fruits, and infused with a research-based proprietary formula of bioactive botanical extracts. These include extracts from sage, hops, oats, valerian, rosemary, among other plants. myAir says the botanical extracts work together to counter stress.

"Our algorithm can analyze the data from each person's specific mood and stress profile, then decide what formulation will provide them the best positive impact on their stress routine," explains myAir co-founder and co-CEO Rachel Yarcony.

"But our expertise is in the ability to cross the cognitive data with individual physiological aspects, Yarcony says.

"As an executive manager and a mother, stress had become a massive burden in my life. I tried to manage my stress through meditation and mindfulness, but I failed to maintain stress management in my routine," Yarcony explains.

"Good nutrition is a key to managing stress naturally. This spurred me to seek a natural solution and develop a 'food for mood' solution that consumers can easily merge into their daily routine to help take control of their health and manage their personal stress levels," she adds.

According to co-CEO Dovev Goldstein, the company's preliminary study found that different consumers generally have different stress symptoms that are more dominant than the others. For example, stress affects me mainly in the mornings, so my energy levels and focus are decreased. My partner feels the stress at night and occasionally has problems getting fulfilling sleep. Each of us needs a personalized solution. This is where myAir has redefined the paradigm."

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