Doctor Amir Khan is known for sharing all sorts of health advice, and his latest piece of knowledge is super interesting. Apparently, there’s a reason you can feel like you’re falling when you go to sleep

Doctor Amir Khan is known for sharing all sorts of health advice, and he recently turned his attention to helping people sleep better. However, if you’re someone who often suddenly jolts awake at night, or feel like you’re falling when you start to nod off, it turns out things usually trigger this.

The GP, who’s known for sharing health tips on ITV‘s Lorraine, issued the expert advice on Instagram this week where he shared a video explaining what people need to know. Quite often, many of us jolt awake as we start to fall asleep, and it can sometimes cause a little panic.

However, it turns out there are reasons why this happens. It’s not the only piece of sleep wisdom he’s shared recently either, as he also explained why many can wake up at 3am.

Demonstrating what happens, Doctor Amir said: “Have you ever felt you’re falling just as you nod off? That sudden jolt awake is actually called a hypnic jerk and, as you drift into sleep, your muscles relax, and sometimes your brain interprets that as falling.

“It’s a misinterpretation, so it sends a quick signal to your body to catch you, and that’s why you twitch awake. Now, some scientists think it’s an ancient survival reflex, back to when we slept in trees.

“A sudden twitch might have stopped us from actually falling. It’s totally harmless. More common when you’re stressed, have caffeine late or you’re just super tired.

“So, next time it happens, don’t panic. it’s just your brain being quirky. Totally normal. Totally harmless.”

Doctor Amir admitted it’s something that happens to him “all the time”, and it’s nothing to worry about. In the comments, many others said they’ve experienced it too.

What you need to know

If you’ve never experienced them before, hypnic jerks are common, involuntary muscle spasms, also known as “sleep starts”. They take place during the transition from wakefulness to light sleep, and often lead to a sensation of falling or a sudden jolt.

Little you may know, they are actually experienced by over 80% of people and they are generally harmless. They’re actually caused by nerves misfiring as muscles relax, or by fatigue, stress or caffeine.

In other words, if you drink coffee late, are super tired or stressed, your body may be trying to tell you something, as you could need to make some lifestyle changes. Even being in an uncomfortable sleeping position can cause them.

If you want to try and stop them, you can start by reducing stimulants (caffeine), maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and practicing relaxation techniques. Doing these things may help to decrease frequency.

Even though they are usually nothing to worry about, persistent or painful episodes should be discussed with a doctor. This is important to rule out any other potential sleep disorders.

If you struggle with sleep at all in general, and it’s getting you down, also speak to your GP. They will be able to suggest methods to help aid the problem.

In their previous Ofsted inspection in 2020, they received an overall rating of ‘good’

A pre-school just over the Cambridgeshire border in Hertfordshire has been told it ‘needs attention’ by Ofsted. After dropping from an overall ‘good’ rating in their previous inspection, staff members at Ladybird Playgroup & Pre-school in Thriplow said that they “recognise some areas need enhancing” and are “already taking action”.

The report, which was published on Monday, March 2, said that some children make “varied progress through the curriculum due to inconsistencies in teaching”.

The report also states: “Children are independent individuals and thrive in carrying out appropriate responsibilities, such as taking turns to be the helper of the day.”

The pre-school was judged ‘needs attention’ for five categories assessed: achievement, behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance.

The safeguarding standards were met and children’s welfare and wellbeing was graded at ‘expected standard’.

Ofsted awarded a rating of overall ‘good’ in their previous inspection in 2020.

The report said: “Older children are learning to navigate their emotions. However, when older children display unkind behaviour, such as shouting at friends in frustration or throwing resources, staff tell them to stop but do not always help them to understand their own and others’ feelings.”

As a result, the inspection found that “staff do not fully support children to develop the skills needed to regulate their behaviour”.

The report continued: “Leaders recognise that staff need to strengthen their skills to help children manage their emotions but have not yet taken effective action to do so.”

A spokesperson for Ladybird Playgroup and Pre-school in Thriplow said: “We were one of the first settings assessed under Ofsted’s new framework. We’re pleased the inspection recognised the good work we are doing, particularly around safeguarding and children’s wellbeing.

“We recognise some areas need enhancing and we are already taking action. The safety and wellbeing of the children in our care remains our top priority.”

Ofsted praised the staff for working well as a team, and encouraging children to develop a love of books. The report recognises that children feel “relaxed, safe and secure”, and that they “build secure relationships with their key person and seek them out for reassurance when needed”.

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Wales head to Dublin to face Ireland in round four of the Six Nations

After a week’s break, the Six Nations is back and we have a Friday night game to look forward to.

Wales head to Dublin to take on Ireland this evening in round four of the competition and they travel across the Irish Sea with a bit more confidence than in recent times.

Last time out they put in a far more encouraging display against Scotland and although the match in Cardiff ended in another defeat – their third of this year’s tournament – there were signs of improvement for Steve Tandy and his coaches to build upon.

Unfortunately for the men in red they are facing a team still buzzing following their record-breaking win over England at Allianz Stadium Twickenham in round three.

Having lost to France on the opening night of the competition and then being pushed by an ever-improving Italy, Andy Farrell’s men had been written off in some quarters but they put their doubters in place against Steve Borthwick’s outfit.

Tonight promises to be an intriguing one. Here is everything you need to know.

Is Ireland v Wales on TV?

Yes, it is.

Kick-off is at 8.10pm on Friday. The match will be shown live on ITV1, with Welsh-language coverage on S4C.

Coverage starts at 7.20pm on ITV, while S4C’s broadcast begins at 7.30pm.

What about streaming?

Viewers will be able to stream the match on the ITVX app, S4C’s Clic app and BBC iPlayer.

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Team news

Ireland: Jamie Osborne; Robert Baloucoune, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey; Jacob Stockdale; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Tom O’Toole, Ronan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Jack Conan, Nick Timoney, Caelan Doris (capt).

Replacements: Tom Stewart, Michael Milne, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, Josh van der Flier, Nathan Doak, Tom Farrell, Ciaran Frawley.

Wales: 15. Louis Rees-Zammit, 14. Ellis Mee, 13. Eddie James, 12. Joe Hawkins, 11. Josh Adams, 10. Dan Edwards, 9. Tomos Williams; 1. Rhys Carre, 2. Dewi Lake (capt), 3. Tomas Francis, 4. Dafydd Jenkins, 5. Ben Carter, 6. Alex Mann, 7. James Botham, 8. Aaron Wainwright

Replacements: 16. Ryan Elias, 17. Nicky Smith, 18. Archie Griffin, 19. Adam Beard, 20. Olly Cracknell, 21. Kieran Hardy, 22. Jarrod Evans, 23. Louie Hennessey

Quotes corner

Andy Farrell: “The story has been written many times about their (Wales) decline and how unfortunate it has been, but at the same time we are playing them in a Test match on Friday and, from what I’ve seen, they’ve been getting better game on game.

“The last game was as close as it gets against a very good Scottish squad. We have heard the confidence in the Welsh camp that they are coming to Dublin with a spring in their step and they are familiar with how our lads play in the URC. I suppose that influences the result last year, so it’s up to us to show that we have moved on as well.”

Steve Tandy: “This week it’s about backing up the performance against Scotland. Going away from home is a different type of environment for our group, but the focus for us is really improving on what we did last game.

“I thought the defence against Scotland was much improved so we definitely want to double down on that going to Ireland. You see how they keep the ball in possession, they play lots of passes so we know we’re going to have to build and improve from the other week.”

A new peer-reviewed study found a nuclear war could wipe out around five billion people as tensions heighten in the Middle East

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A recent study suggests that only two nations would endure a nuclear conflict. This alarming revelation comes amid escalating tensions, with the US and Israel – both nuclear-armed states – exchanging missile fire with Iran.

Israel has been targeting Tehra, the Iranian capital, whilst Afghanistan’s Taliban have initiated an attack on nuclear-equipped Pakistan. Yesterday, the UAE reported ongoing efforts to intercept missiles aimed at Israel as Middle Eastern conflict continues unabated.

These developments have sparked fears of potential war escalation in the forthcoming weeks. A new peer-reviewed study estimates that a nuclear war could annihilate approximately five billion people, according to Unilad.

Scientists in the Nature journal warn of fireballs reaching temperatures up to 100 million degrees Celsius and a nuclear winter enveloping the globe. They posit that Australia and New Zealand would be the sole survivors.

Annie Jacobson, an expert on Armageddon scenarios and author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, utilised scientific research and defence expertise to predict the aftermath of all 12,000 global nuclear weapons being deployed. Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast, she stated: “Hundreds of millions of people die in the fireballs, no question.”

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Jacobson further elaborated on the catastrophic impact on regions that survive the initial explosions. She said: “Places like Iowa and Ukraine would be just snow for 10 years, and so agriculture would fail. When agriculture fails, people just die.”

The expert suggests approximately three billion people might endure the immediate explosions, though their existence would be utterly transformed. She reckons Australia and New Zealand would largely withstand the nuclear winter and maintain the capacity to cultivate crops.

Annie outlined how detonating thousands of contemporary nuclear weapons would obliterate a delicate layer of gas shielding us from solar radiation. She warns that alongside ozone layer devastation, there would be significant radiation poisoning threats.

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Whilst Australia and New Zealand may endure, she anticipates residents there would face existence in darkness. She envisages people “fighting for food” and “living underground”.

Annie’s forecast follows recent mapping which indicated Iranian missiles possess the capability to devastate numerous nations, including several favoured tourist destinations. Intelligence suggests these warheads could reach targets up to 1,240 miles away.

This places beloved holiday spots including Dubai, Cyprus, Turkey and Egypt potentially within striking distance. On Thursday (March 5) the UK Government’s inaugural evacuation flights departed the Middle East to assist stranded Britons.

The initial aircraft left Oman on Thursday afternoon. The Government continues evaluating its response strategy to the Middle Eastern crisis.

Confirmation has already emerged that Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon will deploy to the Mediterranean, potentially next week, strengthening protective measures surrounding the British military installation at Akrotiri following an Iranian drone strike.

If there’s one thing all football fans can agree on, as we trundle through match after match of grappling and time-wasting, it’s that what we actually need are more rules.

That’s what the International Football Association Board have decided, anyway.

In an era of official club complaints, anger in the stands and frustration from players and managers alike, football’s lawmakers are introducing new rules to combat time wasting and give more power to VAR.

The rules will come into effect from July 1 across football, but also be in place for the start of this summer’s World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada in June.

What changes are being made to stop time wasting?

After the relative success of this year’s new rule giving goalkeepers eight seconds to release the ball, throw-ins and goal kicks will now also have five second countdowns if the referee thinks a player is time wasting.

There is one difference between the new rules and the goalkeeper countdown, as a referee will only start one when they feel a player is time wasting, instead of immediately as is the case with goalkeepers.

The other change means anyone substituted will now have 10 seconds to get off the pitch – if they don’t the referee can delay their replacement coming on until the next stoppage in play.

How is VAR changing?

The new rules mean VAR will now be able to intervene in red cards that have resulted from an incorrect second yellow and corners that shouldn’t have been given.

Again, reasonable on paper, but do we really want to introduce more stoppages and opportunities for VAR to upset everyone with inconsistencies? Surely that’s what we should be avoiding.

But what do we fans know, after all? We’re not the experts, and a problem like this needs the best minds in football. Step up Pierluigi Collina – one of the most recognisable referees of all time and surely a credible voice of reason on issues like VAR and why nobody seems to like it.

‘In Italy, we say that in every wonderful marriage, there is a crisis after seven years,’ said the 2002 World Cup final referee. ‘So it might be possible that people fell in love with VAR, and then after some years, as with your wife, you have a small crisis.’

Sorry Pierluigi, this one feels more like an arranged marriage doomed for failure from day one.

What about Arsene Wenger? Surely one of football’s best thinkers has some sort of solution for us… How about a change in the offside law?

The former Arsenal boss has proposed a ‘daylight’ rule, meaning that an attacker is only offside if there is a gap between them and the last line of defence.

It’s a move that brings the law back towards giving the attacker the benefit of the doubt, but the issue is that light is famously good at getting through even the smallest of cracks. In reality, it will just lead to the lines being drawn in a different place.

This change has been granted a trial in Canada, so it could be a while before it comes into effect across the world. However, Wenger has been pushing for the change since joining Fifa in 2019, so we can expect any success in the trial to please him.

The obvious solution here is to get rid of the whole thing. Sure, before VAR we all argued over refereeing decisions but at least we could celebrate goals and get home on time.

Football is supposed to be a simple game – adding more rules will just add to the feeling that a team now needs to apply for planning permission to score.

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Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) heads off to his dad’s funeral in Coronation Street next week, but attending with other family members sadly isn’t going to happen.

Jim McDonald, played by Charles Lawson, died of pneumonia following a stay in hospital.

The character absolutely wasn’t a good example of what a father should be, as he was regularly involved in storylines that featured violence, crime and alcoholism.

Steve learnt of his dad’s ill health when it became apparent that Jim had put him down as a guarantor on a rented house. Jim owed the dodgy landlord some money, and it was down to Steve to pay it as he was in hospital.

After confirming that Jim wasn’t well, his old army mate told Steve that he didn’t have long left to live. Steve didn’t particularly want to see his Jim, but knew he probably wouldn’t get another chance in the future.

As he prepares to say goodbye, Steve decides to invite new mate Ben Driscoll (Aaron McCusker) along to the funeral, admitting he could do with some moral support. This puts Tim Metcalfe’s (Joe Duttine) nose out of joint a bit, as he points out that he actually knew Jim, and Ben didn’t.

Steve nervously heads off to the funeral without mum Liz or brother Andy in tow after discovering that they both washed their hands of Jim a long time ago.

Jim does have some loved ones who arrive to say their goodbyes though, including Declan and Davey from the army. Later, they regale Steve with tales of the past.

Listening in is Maggie Driscoll (Pauline McLynn), who would like to pull Ben away from the conversation sharpish.

She does this by reminding Ben that he’s got a hospital appointment in the morning, so it would be best if they start making tracks.

Attending the appointment actually isn’t a priority for Maggie, as Ben remains unaware that she’s not best pleased about his new friendship with Steve because she knows they are related.

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It will be revealed in upcoming episodes that Maggie had an affair with Jim, and Ben was the product of that, making him Steve’s brother.

MORE: Coronation Street drops whopping hints to big twist after major death

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The airline will resume a limited number of commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi on Friday, March 6, as tensions in the Middle East enter their seventh day

Etihad Airways is set to restart a limited selection of commercial services to and from Abu Dhabi. Amongst the routes being reinstated are London and New York.

The carrier confirmed the flights will recommence on Friday, March 6, as Middle Eastern tensions reach their seventh day.

Airspace across the Middle East has been closed and flight operations thrown into chaos following coordinated strikes by Israel and the United States on multiple strategic sites in Iran on Saturday, February 28. Iran has retaliated with assaults on various countries throughout the region, sparking widespread alarm, reports the Manchester Evening News..

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Passengers and the general public have been advised against travelling to the airport unless they have received direct contact from Etihad or possess a confirmed reservation on one of these reinstated services.

Etihad Airways stated that passengers holding existing bookings will be accommodated at the earliest opportunity on these flights.

“The decision has been taken in coordination with relevant authorities following extensive safety and security assessments. Etihad continues to monitor the situation closely and will only operate flights once all safety criteria are met,” the airline wrote in a post on.

All remaining scheduled commercial operations to and from Abu Dhabi stay suspended and passengers will receive direct notification from Etihad confirming their flight status and outlining available alternatives. Visitors have been urged to keep their contact information current and check their inbox regularly for the latest developments.

“Safety remains our absolute priority, and services will operate only once all safety criteria are met,” the statement read.

The most recent information can be found here.

Bolton’s Makers Market was first held last year on October 12 and quickly proved a hit, with some stalls almost selling out of products.

It will be returning to Newport Street this Sunday (March 8) with a packed line-up of artisan makers, street food traders and creatives from across the region.

Bolton Makers Market will return this weekend (Image: Bolton Makers Market)

Live music will take place throughout the day, performed by local musician Chris Tavener.

Families will be warmly welcomed with a free children’s crafting station hosted by Rabbits Small, giving kids the chance to get creative while their parents explore the stalls.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a range of food from gourmet grilled cheese toasties from Absolute Meltdown to pies from Chris.cheshirepie and scotch eggs from Mr Murray’s Scotch Eggs.

Bolton Makers Market will return this weekend (Image: Bolton Makers Market)

There will also be authentic curries, samosas and bhajis from The Curry Man, Asian snacks from THE KASHMIRI GUYS and cuisine from Persian Food and Dessert.

Sweet treats will be in abundance too, with cookies and brownies from Baked by Nicola, banana bread from Sheila’s Sweet Slice, cinnamon rolls and cake slices from Syllasweet Cakery Ltd, plus honey and beeswax products from Bright Meadows Honey.

Cheese lovers can stock up with Kick Ass Cheese and Bogarts Cheese, alongside pour-over sauces from Sizzlers – Prime Meats and handcrafted rum from The Salford Rum Company.

Bolton Makers Market will return this weekend (Image: Bolton Makers Market)

 Creative shoppers can browse handmade jewellery from Grace Alexandra Jewellery, Breaking Hearts Jewels and Summerday, crochet accessories from Ortensia Atelier, folklore-inspired art from Northern Folklore Archive, resin creations from Sheryl Toomey-Brown and beautifully crafted wooden pieces from Kazbahcollective.

You’ll also find 3D printed designs from 3d Foundry and Filament forge.uk, laser-cut gifts from Droylsden Laser, original books from crime fiction author James Ellson, handmade craft kits from The Happy Harbour, and much more.

Bolton’s Makers Market will be at Newport Street this Sunday (March 8) from 11am to 4pm.