Good Questions: Headlights, Sleep Jerk, Shoulder Stress

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's Friday, and we're answering your Good Questions!

Melody from Bloomington wants to know: What's the law for turning on your headlights?

Minnesota's statute requires that you have your headlights on during rain, snow, sleet and hail.

You are also expected to have them on between sunset and sunrise, and at any other time visibility is impaired, like during heavy fog.

A rule of thumb is if you cannot see up to 500 feet in front of you, your lights should be turned on.

Kris from Star Prairie wants to know: Why do we sometimes jerk awake when we're falling asleep?

Many people experience that sudden jolt, and it is possible they are having what is called a "hypnic jerk."

This is when a muscle or muscles involuntarily twitch just as you fall asleep. Sometimes it is the body's reaction to a sensation of falling or jumping as you are going to sleep.

About 70 percent of us experience this at some point in our lives.

Brett from Big Bend City wants to know: Why do we carry stress in our shoulders and neck?

Our friends at Massage Envy in Maple Grove helped us with this one. They say it is as much of a posture problem as it is a stress problem.

Sitting at a computer with incorrect posture for eight hours a day means tension moves to the neck, shoulders and even the back.

Working out incorrectly also causes muscle tightness in those areas.