Remember when in the Ep 8 of Season 1, Friends, Ross's 'nana' or grandmother dies and then wakes up again? Well, only to die a few moments later. However, she did rise from death. What if we tell you there is a science behind it? It is called the Lazarus Phenomenon or the Lazarus Syndrome, which we will come back later.

Few fears in history have been as chilling as the thought of waking up six feet under. Long before modern medical technology, the line between life and death was frighteningly blurry.

Without stethoscopes, electrocardiograms, or ventilators, doctors relied on mirrors held under the nose, or fingers pressed against a wrist, to declare someone dead. Mistakes were inevitable.

Accounts from as early as the 14th century suggest this nightmare was not unfounded. When the tomb of philosopher John Duns Scotus was reportedly opened, his body was discovered outside his coffin, his hands torn in a way that suggested he had tried to claw his way free. Coming back to another popular culture reference in the movie The Autopsy of Jane Doe, there is a mention of how dead bodies have bells tied to their ankle to ensure they are truly dead. This is a practice rooted deeply in history to avoid accidental burial.

READ: Medical Memoir: The Accidental Development Of The Small Pox Vaccine

Taphophobia: Accidental Deaths

Centuries ago, in 17th-century England, Alice Blunden of Basingstoke collapsed after drinking poppy tea, which acted as a sedative. Declared dead, she was buried swiftly. Days later, children heard noises near her grave. By the time she was exhumed, she was still clinging to life, but ultimately perished after a second premature burial.

Such tragedies gave rise to a cultural obsession known as taphophobia, the fear of being buried alive. The anxiety was so widespread that it inspired not only literature, such as Edgar Allan Poe’s haunting 1844 story The Premature Burial, but also a wave of bizarre inventions designed to save the mistakenly entombed.

Coffin Bells and Safety Devices

The 19th century saw one of the strangest solutions: the grave bell. In cemeteries like Cooper Cemetery in Ohio, a pipe was installed leading from the coffin to the surface, with a string tied to the corpse’s hand. At the surface, the string connected to a bell fixed to a post. If the “deceased” stirred, they could tug the string and ring for rescue.

Local historians believe this system may have inspired the phrase “saved by the bell.” Graveyards often stationed watchmen nearby, waiting to see if a bell would ring in the night. While the eerie sound must have sent shivers down spines, it was, for some, a last hope of survival.

Inventors soon took the concept further. Patents from the 1800s detail elaborate “safety coffins” equipped with air pipes, escape ladders, and signaling devices. Franz Vester’s 1868 “Improved Burial Case” included a bell and ladder for the unfortunate soul who awoke underground.

John Krichbaum’s 1882 design featured a T-shaped pipe that moved with hand motion, signaling life above ground. Others included clockwork fans for fresh air, or even battery-powered alarms to alert caretakers.

Though many of these designs were never widely adopted, they reflected the pervasive fear of premature burial in an era when medical certainty was elusive.

Accidentally Declared Dead Even In Modern Times

Even in modern times, stories of mistaken burials continue to surface. In 2011, Fagilyu Mukhametzyanov of Russia woke up during her own funeral. She opened her eyes in her casket, surrounded by grieving relatives. She screamed, was rushed to the hospital, and lived for another 12 minutes before dying of heart failure.

In 2014, Walter Williams of Mississippi was declared dead, his body zipped into a bag and delivered to a funeral home. To the embalmer’s shock, Williams’ legs began moving. He was breathing lightly and had, in fact, survived his first “death.” Two weeks later, however, he passed away for good.

These unsettling stories remind us that the fine line between life and death is sometimes blurrier than we’d like to admit.

The Lazarus Phenomenon: “Returns” from Death

If premature burial was the horror of the past, the Lazarus phenomenon, named after the Biblical figure who rose from the tomb, represents today’s medical equivalent.

Also Read: 71-Year-Old Declared Dead, But Came Back Alive: How Science Explains This Shocking Revival

Lazarus syndrome is the spontaneous return of circulation after failed attempts at resuscitation. In other words, a person’s heart restarts after doctors have already stopped CPR and pronounced them dead.

Documented only around 63 times in medical literature, it remains vanishingly rare. Most cases occur within ten minutes of resuscitation efforts ending.

Theories include:

Air trapping: Too much air pumped into the lungs during CPR builds pressure in the chest, preventing blood flow. When CPR stops, the pressure drops, and the heart spontaneously restarts.

Delayed medication delivery: Drugs given during resuscitation sometimes take effect only after circulation resumes.

Defibrillation delays: A shock to the heart may take longer than expected to trigger a rhythm.

Real-life examples are just as dramatic as tales of grave bells. In Detroit, a 20-year-old woman was declared dead after 30 minutes of CPR, only for funeral home staff to notice her breathing. In Britain, a 23-year-old man began breathing again after last rites. In Ohio, a man’s family watched in shock as his heart rhythm returned minutes after he had been declared dead.

Though survival rates are low, most patients die again soon after, just like it happened with 'Nana' from Friends.

Death: A Process, Not an Instant

What connects premature burial and Lazarus syndrome is a simple truth: death is not always an immediate event. Instead, it is a process in which organs gradually fail. Historically, without medical monitors, it was almost impossible to distinguish deep coma or catalepsy from actual death. Today, despite advanced machines, the Lazarus phenomenon shows that even modern medicine occasionally falters.

Medical guidelines now recommend waiting at least ten minutes after CPR stops before officially declaring death, ensuring that spontaneous circulation will not return. It is a safeguard rooted in the same caution that once drove inventors to attach bells to coffins.

When it comes to health, sleep is usually the most overlooked aspect. We tend to focus on diet and exercise while making sleep voluntary. However, new evidence reveals that how we sleep not just for how long can contribute significantly to how long we live.

A new Korean study, appearing in Scientific Reports, has found that sleep duration and regularity are closely linked with all-cause mortality. The research indicates that adults with regular sleep schedules lasting 7 to 8 hours a night have a much lower risk of premature death, while short and long sleep durations are linked with elevated risks.

Sleep is more than just rest; it is a biological reset button. During sleep, our bodies repair tissues, consolidate memory, regulate hormones, and restore energy. The quality, duration, and regularity of this process determine how well our immune, cardiovascular, and metabolic systems function.

Scientists have been aware for years that sleep deprivation is associated with increased risks of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. What's new now is the significance of sleep regularity the predictability of our sleep-wake cycles as a better long-term health predictor than hours of sleep.

The research, which was led by researchers from the Hanyang University Medical Center, tracked over 9,000 Korean adults for 15 years through the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study. They were categorized according to self-reported sleep at night: less than 7 hours, 7–8 hours, and more than 8 hours. They were also divided according to whether they had a regular or irregular sleep schedule. And the findings were dramatic:

Individuals who slept over 8 hours had significantly increased all-cause mortality risk over those in the 7–8-hour category.

Men with normal long sleep (more than 8 hours) and women with irregular long sleep were particularly vulnerable.

There was also an ominous trend towards short sleepers (<7 hours), but this association was not statistically significant.

The greatest risk of mortality was in those who had non-standard short or non-standard long sleep amounts.

Overall, the investigators documented 1,095 deaths and 811 significant cardiovascular events over follow-up. Irregularity in itself increased mortality modestly, but when irregular sleep was combined with too little sleep or excessive sleep, an elevated risk profile resulted.

Sleep Duration: The Sweet Spot for Longevity

The study confirms what a wider meta-analysis of 79 cohort studies has previously indicated as well:

Sleeping less than 7 hours a night increases risk of early death by 14%.

Sleeping 9 or more hours adds 34% to mortality risk.

The sweet spot is still 7–8 hours of sleep, in addition to regularity. Anything short or long of this range can put stress on the body in forms that raise the risk of chronic disease and premature death.

Can Too Much Sleep Can Be Harmful?

Although short sleep is condemned, excessive sleep durations can also indicate underlying illness. Underlying diseases such as undiagnosed sleep apnea, ongoing inflammation, depression, or poorly controlled metabolic conditions may precipitate increased sleep requirements. In these instances, long sleep is a manifestation of underlying illness and not a direct etiological factor. Perhaps the most fascinating feature of the Korean study is the gender difference in how sleeping patterns contribute to mortality.

Men: Long habitual sleep (> 8 hours) and short irregular sleep were both associated with increased mortality. Men are also more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea, which could account for some of the risks.

Women: Irregular long sleep was most dangerous. Researchers propose hormonal changes, psychosocial stress, and caregiving duties might impact women's sleep quality more than men's.

This sex-specific difference highlights the importance of individualized sleep health advice instead of a general set of guidelines.

Sleep risks are differently distributed among different age groups. Middle-aged adults (ages 40–49 years) are more susceptible to the impact of short sleep, which can hasten cardiovascular and metabolic issues. Older adults (older than 60 years) seem more prone to the detrimental effects of long sleep, potentially due to undiagnosed comorbidities.

Why Sleep Regularity is Important?

It's not only the hours you put in—you also have to consider when you sleep and if it's consistent. Circadian rhythm disturbances, including having an irregular bedtime or constantly changing sleep schedules, can affect hormone regulation, blood pressure, and immune function.

This is why even individuals who receive adequate sleep can still be at risk if their rhythms are not regular. Shift workers and airline passengers, for instance, are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and die, even if they officially meet the number of recommended hours.

How To Build A Consistent Sleep Schedule?

Here's the thing, consistency is the backbone of healthy sleep. Begin by establishing a regular bedtime and wake-up time-even on weekends. Unwind with a calming process: dim the lights, read, or stretch rather than scrolling through your phone. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and silent to signal sleep. Steer clear of caffeine and heavy meals near bedtime. If sleep doesn't immediately occur, don't try to make it happen—engage in a calming activity until you feel sleepy. With time, these little habits condition the body's internal clock and render sleep easy and minimize long-term health danger. The research identifies an immediate public health warning: defending your sleep is defending your life. Effective tips are:

• Sticking to a regular bedtime and rising time, even on weekends.
• Developing a sleeping environment- dark, cool, and quiet.
• Steering clear of caffeine and screens near bedtime.
• Prioritizing seven to eight hours of nightly sleep as an absolute aspect of health.

Worldwide, sleep disorders fall through the cracks in terms of more visible health threats such as diet and cigarette smoking. But increasing evidence suggests that irregular or low-quality sleep is a quiet killer. Sleep interventions specific to sex, age, and health profiles, the authors of the study note, may be just as critical as individualized diet and exercise routines.

The consequences reach beyond personal decisions. Work culture, city living, and tech habits have undermined good sleep in most societies. Public health policy like delayed school starting times, employee wellness programs, and public awareness campaigns could be key to turning these trends around.

Dengue has been identified as one of the world's most severe and dangerous mosquito-borne viral disease but here is something that tends to go undetected- the transmission is not only mosquito-to-human, it can also spread the other way, human-to-mosquito. This two-way motion makes dengue particularly difficult to manage, particularly in areas where the disease is already endemic.

The burden of dengue in the world has increased at a rapid rate. In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) had reported slightly more than half a million cases. The number had ballooned to 5.2 million in 2019. This worsened in 2023, when the number of dengue cases hit an all-time high of more than 6.5 million in 80 nations, resulting in over 7,300 fatalities.

Much of this growth is caused by climate change, urbanization, and the expansion of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito populations into new areas. Rising temperatures and heavy precipitation have increased the areas where mosquitoes breed, and vulnerable health systems—overstretched by the COVID-19 pandemic—have found it difficult to control outbreaks.

Currently, dengue is endemic in over 100 nations, predominantly in South-East Asia, the Americas, and the Western Pacific. It is estimated that Asia alone harbors approximately 70 percent of the global burden of the disease.

How Does Mosquito to Human Transmission Take Place?

Historically, dengue has been conceived as a vector-borne infection, wherein the virus gets transmitted to humans by a bite from infected female Aedes mosquitoes. The virus multiplies in the midgut of the mosquito after feeding on a viremic host before getting transported to the salivary glands of the mosquito. This is called the extrinsic incubation period (EIP), and this usually lasts for 8–12 days under conditions of 25–28°C temperature. The mosquito remains infectious for the rest of its life after it becomes infectious.

This process describes how outbreaks can so rapidly spread: once a local population of mosquitoes becomes infected, the disease can persist for months even in the absence of new imports from elsewhere.

How Human-to-Mosquito Transmission Occur?

Recent research points to yet another crucial piece of the puzzle: humans too can pass the dengue virus back to mosquitoes. When a mosquito bites an individual with viremia, the virus in the bloodstream it can itself become infected and keep the cycle going.

Human-to-mosquito transmission can take place before an individual even knows they are ill. Scientists say that the virus is detectable in mosquitoes up to two days prior to the onset of symptoms and up to two days when the fever disappears. This indicates asymptomatic carriers, or those with mild symptoms of illness, can contribute heavily to maintaining outbreaks.

The risk of infection in mosquitoes increases with fever and high viremia in the patient, although intense dengue-specific antibodies seem to lower the risk. The majority of individuals are viremic for 4–5 days but can remain so for as long as 12 days in some instances.

This latent stage of transmission makes dengue controlling particularly challenging. It's not merely about preventing mosquito bites—it's also about comprehending how human beings, even subconsciously, become a link in the chain of transmission.

Identifying Early Warning Symptoms of Dengue among Patients

As per Dr. Anirban Chattopadhyay, Critical Care Specialist with CMRI Kolkata, "Dengue and viral fevers also track the monsoons in Kolkata and other regions of India and extensive and well-reported cases in patients are a routine occurrence. The majority of the viral fevers are mild and self-limited, whereas with dengue the infection could be very swift and severely debilitating if not diagnosed early enough."

The initial signs of dengue can be mistaken for other viral infections—high-grade fever, very severe body pain, headache, nausea, and lethargy. However, dengue tends to add some warning signals like pain in the eyes, rashes on the skin, and reduced platelet levels (thrombocytopenia). Patients might also present with gum bleeding, nosebleeds, or petechiae (small red spots on the skin). These are warning signs that need urgent medical intervention.

Why Early Consultation is Critical?

Prompt diagnosis is best to avoid complications. "Early recognition, and timely treatment remains the best option available currently for lessening the potential morbidity from these illnesses," stresses Dr. Chattopadhyay.

Physicians can diagnose dengue with a routine blood test. Most cases are treated with hydration and supportive care, although delayed treatment heightens the risk of developing severe dengue, such as Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever or Dengue Shock Syndrome—both of which may be fatal.

Additionally, patients are advised not to self-medicate with medications such as ibuprofen or aspirin, since they can aggravate risk of bleeding. Paracetamol is still the best option for the control of fever.

Monitoring and Home Care

Home management is achievable in mild cases with strict monitoring. Patients should monitor temperature, fluids, urine output, and energy status once daily. Rest, hydration, and prompt review by the doctor are necessary. Yet, acute abdominal pain, protracted vomiting, severe exhaustion, lethargy, or shortness of breath indicate the need for emergency hospitalization.

This surveillance method not only enhances personal outcomes but also decreases the chance of unwittingly infecting the virus back to mosquitoes during the viremic phase.

How To Prevent Dengue Transmission?

Prevention of dengue can be ensured through a two-pronged mechanism: prevention of mosquito bites and reduction of opportunities for spreading the virus. On the control of mosquitoes, practices are done such as removal of stagnant water, application of insect repellents, fitting window screens, and community-level vector control programs.

On the human side, education about human-to-mosquito transmission is crucial. Individuals with dengue infection must safeguard themselves from new mosquito bites when in the viremic phase through the use of bed nets, repellents, and protective apparel. In this manner, they minimize the probability of infecting new mosquitoes, which in turn cuts short community transmission.

Dr. Chattopadhyay also reminds us that prevention on a wider level involves healthy overall well-being. Good hand hygiene, wearing masks in crowded public places, and having good immunity through nutrition all lower one's susceptibility to viral infections in general.

With the finding of human-to-mosquito transmission, we are changed in our understanding of dengue control. It's not merely about destroying breeding sites or covering ourselves up from bites—it's also about recognizing that humans are part of the chain of infection.

As Dr. Chattopadhyay indicates, prompt detection and timely treatment are still our best weapons against dengue. Combining that with preventive measures both at the household and community levels—gives us the best hope of lessening the impact of this quick-spreading disease.

You know Joey from the series sleeps without clothes on. Have you ever thought about it? Maybe you have, but you have been too shy to give it a try. Maybe Joey was not joking, maybe sleeping without clothes on do have some benefits.

While sleeping naked at night may not be the first thing that comes to your mind, however, it has benefits, which can surprise you.

Sleeping Naked Means Sleeping Faster

Behavioral sleep disorders specialist Michelle Drerup, PsyD, DBSM, tells Cleveland Clinic that your body naturally works to lowers its temperature or thermostat to doze off at night. This happens through circadian rhythm that regulates your body's wake and sleep cycles. So, the faster you cool off, the faster you will sleep.

Sleeping without clothes might as well help you in that.

Your bedroom temperature should be between 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 degrees Celsius to 19.44 degrees Celsius) for optimal snoozing, not some experts.

ALSO READ: Oxford University Scientists Have Found The Reason Behind The Need To Sleep

Sleeping Naked Improves Sleep Quality

As per a 2012 study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology, when your body is cooled down, it also helps you sleep better. The quality of sleep significantly improves. Thus, sleeping naked is one of the many ways to achieve the desired temperature.

Good For Skin And Hygiene

A 2017 study published in journal Women's Health, titled Role of female intimate hygiene in vulvovaginal health: Global hygiene practices and product usage, cited the Royal College of General Practitioners guide on care of vulvar skin, and noted that sleeping without underwear allows better airflow, reduces moistures and prevents any potential yeast or bacterial infections.

ALSO READ: Do Feminine Hygiene Products Actually Cause Vaginal Infection?

Intimate skin is prone to have moisture trapped, and removing clothes can help your skin breathe. Since studies have proven that a lower body temperature allows you to have a better sleep quality, further studies, including a 2018 published in Journal of Applied Physiology notes that "adequate sleep" can also help you skin heal from small wound.

Improves Relationship

As per a 2015 study published in the Frontiers in Psychology, skin-to-skin contact between adults stimulates the release of oxytocin, which can play an important role in building attachments, and enhance the feeling of safety. It also thus help you sleep better as you feel less stressed and more in connect with your partner.

Great For Your Self Esteem

A 2021 study published in Journal of Sex Research found that times spent naked helps build body appreciation. This also helps one embrace themselves and self-love. Thus going to sleep naked extends the time you spend naked, and helps you boost your self esteem.

Helpful For Male Fertility

A 2018 study published in the journal of Human Reproduction also noted that sleeping naked is a good way to keep testicles cool and maintain an optimal temperature for sperm health.

The study of 656 men suggested a link between men who wore tight underwear with a low sperm count. The breezier the underwear was, the higher sperm concentration and total sperm count was in the men.