Most of my dreams are very stressful, and I sometimes feel worn out from them. Does this stress affect one’s health the way everyday, waking stress does?
—Thea Boucher, Manning, S.C.
Yes, it does. In a turmoil-filled dream, one’s heart rate quickens, blood pressure climbs, and the sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive.

But before you worry too much about this—and give yourself nightmares—consider that millions of otherwise sane Americans voluntarily subject themselves and their children to the same kind of stress on thrill rides at amusement parks. And they pay hard-earned cash for the privilege.

After taking off on a night flight, I noticed the bright twinkling lights of Salt Lake City below. But when landing in Phoenix, the lights appeared steady. Can you explain why they were different?
—Hazel Hulse, Springville, Utah
You were probably looking down through turbulent air over Salt Lake City. Most likely, the air was calm over Phoenix.

Atmospheric irregularity is what causes starlight to twinkle (correct term: scintillate) when you look up from Earth. If you viewed the stars from the International Space Station, which orbits above our atmosphere, you would see only steady starlight piercing the vacuum of space.

Test Your Logic
Say that a woman and her dog are standing a mile apart on a sandy beach. They spot one another and begin to run toward each other in slow motion at one mph. At the same time, a flea that was on the dog’s nose flies at two mph to the woman’s nose, then flies back to the dog’s nose. The flea flies back and forth (losing no time during the turnarounds) until the woman and the dog meet.

At that time, how far has the flea flown?

Answer: The woman and her dog must each run one-half mile, so they meet in half an hour. As the flea flies at two mph, it has flown one mile.

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