Showing posts with label Naperville Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Naperville Living. Show all posts

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Feng Shui Your Naperville Home

Feng Shui Your Naperville Home

This ancient Chinese practice is popular in Naperville, where homeowners have the benefit of Feng Shui consultants ready to help them bring positive energy flow into their homes and lives.


Feng Shui is the delicate balance of energies in a home and it has been practiced in China for over 3000 years.  Pronounced ‘Fung Shway’, its literal translation is ‘Wind Water’.   It is a practice based on Taoist philosophy, which puts a great deal of emphasis on living in harmony with nature.  The belief promotes that the land is alive and brimming with energy, or ‘chi’ (pronounced ‘chee’).  This in turn means that your Naperville home is alive and full of chi as well and needs to be arranged in such a way that the chi can be maximized.
Here are some steps you can take to improve the feng shui of your Naperville home.

Get Rid of Clutter
The very process of clearing out clutter is therapeutic.  When it applies to feng shui, it’s an essential step to remove objects that will block the path of good energy flow.

Bring In Light And Air
Open the windows often.  Add plants and air purifiers.  Allow ‘flow’ of natural light as much as possible and use full-spectrum lights.

Create Your Bagua Map
You will need a compass and a bagua map to determine the needs of your home.  A bagua map is the energy map of your home.  Drawing one specific to your home will help you determine which areas will help you maximize improving your Chi for specific areas of your life.

Use Feng Shui Elements in Harmony and Balance
Use a balance of the five feng shui elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, for a healthy energy flow.  Specific elements and their positions in your Naperville home can be used to enhance health, love, wealth, career, wisdom/knowledge, reputation/fame, children/creativity and helpful people.

Get A Good Understanding of Feng Shui
There are different levels of Feng Shui.  You can easily learn the basics from online resources.  If you think your home needs some serious work, then contact a consultant.
There are many steps you can take to begin basic feng shui, a bit of online research will get you well on your way to making immediate improvements.

If you’re a Naperville homeowner who is looking for a change of residence, please do not hesitate to call me,Teresa Ryan at 630-276-7575. As a Naperville luxury real estate expert and Managing Broker/Owner of Ryan Hill Realty – www.RyanHillRealty.com, I have the experience and tools to help you sell your Naperville Luxury home.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Naperville Ladies, Stay Healthy With Better Sleep


Naperville Ladies, Stay Healthy With Better Sleep


Naperville ladies, are you getting enough sleep? Here are some important tips to get that much-needed rest you deserve.

It’s a fact that women, especially busy working mothers, deal with a lot of planning, stress, and sleep deprivation. From busy minds to waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall asleep again, your bad sleep patterns can cause many emotional and health issues.



SIGNS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION

If it only takes you 5 minutes or less to fall asleep at night, it means that you’re already sleep-deprived. It normally takes 10 to 15 minutes to fall asleep, meaning you are not too exhausted that you feel sleepy the entire day.

Other signs of sleep deprivation are fatigue, mood swings, and irritability.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP

If you are not getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night, you are at a higher risk for depression, metabolic, and cardiovascular disorders like high blood pressure and diabetes.

According to a study, 17 hours of sustained wakefulness during the day leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol level of .05%.

AS WE AGE, SLEEP BECOMES DIFFICULT

As we grow older, our circadian clocks which control our sleep-wake cycle become less efficient, making it harder for older adults to fall asleep or stay asleep. They also have difficulty being alert during the day. Insomnia also becomes more common during menopause, which is another challenge for women.

GETTING QUALITY SLEEP IS IMPORTANT

Sleep quality is as important for physical and mental health as are food, water, and exercise. The most critical part of sleep is the first two hours after you fall asleep and the two hours before you wake up. Any noise during that time can be disruptive and compromise the quality of your sleep. Light can also be disruptive to your sleep cycle even if you don’t fully wake up. The light turns off a neutral switch in your brain and causes levels of an important sleep chemical to decrease within minutes.

So, how do you ‘switch off’ and get a full night’s sleep naturally? It only takes some simple lifestyle changes to make sure you put an end to those sleepless nights.

NATURAL WAYS TO SLEEP BETTER
  • Simple lifestyle changes and healthy habits during the daytime can help Naperville women get better sleep.
  • Avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and evening.
  • Do not drink alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime.
  • Get plenty of sunshine or bright light during the day, especially in the morning and early afternoon.
  • Avoid exposure to bright light two hours before bedtime. Following the lines on a page acts as a sedative.
  • Avoid watching TV or playing video games before bedtime as this stimulates brain activity.
  • Take a warm bath or shower before bed to release internal body heat.
  • A cooler room temperature or about 68 degrees is the ideal temperature for sleep.
  • Sleep in a dark room. If you want to sleep with lights, avoid blue lights since they are the most alerting. Red lights are best to induce sleep.
  • Go to sleep and wake up at a regular time everyday.

If you wake up in the middle of the night, avoid exposure to light.

Getting enough sleep and quality sleep are important to your health, especially if you’re a Naperville women with a dynamic, active, and busy lifestyle. A balanced diet and exercise is not enough if you are not alert during the day due to lack of sleep. They say health is wealth, and it starts with enough shut-eye and rest. Let’s get healthy, Naperville!

If you’re a Naperville homeowner who is looking for a change of residence, please do not hesitate to call me, Teresa Ryan at 630-276-7575. As a Naperville luxury real estate expert and Managing Broker/Owner of Ryan Hill Realtywww.RyanHillRealty.com, I have the experience and tools to help you sell your Naperville Luxury home.