​Plastic products undoubtedly have a lot of advantages: they are pretty shock-resistant, easy to clean, and are not expensive. However, they look equal to their value. In addition, over time plastic starts to disintegrate and release volatile substances that can negatively affect our body. That’s why kitchenware that is made of ceramic or glass is much more useful, profitable, and aesthetically pleasing.

​Many people like to decorate shelves with various cards. These bright pictures remind them about a nice event, but they never actually fit in with the room’s interior. In addition, if they are not well-fixed between let’s say 2 glasses in a cupboard, they keep falling down and it might become an issue to pick them up because they end up “hiding” in the remotest of corners. Let’s be honest: both closed and open shelves look much better without these colorful paper attributes.

​Bright and voluminous photo frames can rarely fit into an interior and oftentimes distract attention from the photo itself, becoming almost the main element of the whole composition. Opting for a calmer and smoother frame in neutral colors can be a much better decision.

​This is a very wide-spread element of decor that came to us from China. Wind chimes don’t carry any practical significance and in the majority of cases, simply distract attention, while the abundance of tiny elements creates an impression of messiness. Moreover, wind chimes are perfect dust collectors.

​As a rule, outer wiring significantly spoils the overall look of a wall. Moreover, the holes from the nails fixing it don’t add much beauty to it either. That’s why if you have an opportunity to hide wires inside the wall, you’d better take it.

​These bookcases were quite popular during our parents’ time. Though glass resists dust accumulation, it promotes the appearance of stains and handprints. Open multi-layered shelves are much more convenient and, in addition, they look more stylish.

​Just like artificial flowers, plastic fruits look cheap even if the manufacturer paid attention to the tiniest of details. That’s why if you don’t like the idea of keeping a vase with real fruit in your sitting room, you can try freshening up the space with the help of a vase with dried flowers that match the tone of the room.

​This “dump” creates the feeling of messiness right from the doorstep. Moreover, in these cases, shoes get dirty easily and fall into disrepair faster. That’s why it’s so important to take care of footwear. A special organizing shelf for shoes can be the perfect option. It’s not expensive and it helps you save a significant amount of space.

​Sometimes we don’t get enough time to re-plant a plant we recently brought home so we keep postponing it daily. Needless to say, it only spoils our interior, and this temporary “flower pot” can spoil both the mood and the environment. In order to avoid it, you need to have the soil and flower pots ready in advance.

​Most of the time these are brought back from vacation. They settle in on our shelves, occupying the workspace, which is not that big, even without them. It’d be more practical and aesthetically pleasing to keep a couple of these figurines that fit into the interior the best. You’d be surprised at how an insignificant detail like this can improve the general perception of the room.

​Storing food using this method is both unkempt and inconvenient. A glass container with a sealed lid will do the job much better: it will keep the food fresher for a longer period, it won’t let foreign odors inside, and it will generally take up much less space in the fridge. Moreover, the choice of both the shapes and the colors of these containers is basically unlimited.

​These used to be incredibly trendy wall clocks. They would be present in every other apartment. And they would tick pretty loudly too. However, they are in no way connected with the modern style and design. Instead, a minimalistic round (and silent) clock will fit into almost any room without breaking the harmony.

​It seemed a true treasure back in the day. Even kids were not allowed to play with it — it was there only for decorative reasons. If the back of your armchair or couch is still a resting place for this stuffed animal, it’s time to get rid of it right away.

​Using a face roller improves blood circulation in the face, making your skin more radiant. A group of researchers measured peoples’ cheek blood flow, and it increased after just a 5 minute massage with a roller.

​Massaging your face with a roller may also help de-bloat the face. It stimulates lymphatic drainage and decreases facial swelling, like for example eye bags.

​Face rollers made of jade may cool the skin on contact. Jade is one of the only gemstones that remains cool when applied to the skin, and it can calm sensitive areas of the face.

​Sinus congestion happens when fluid becomes trapped in the sinuses, making them feel blocked and painful. Massaging your face with a roller gently moves the lymph and may provide relief from this condition.

​Facial massage is an efficient anti-aging strategy and can amplify the effects of your beauty products, according to a study. Face rollers help spread it evenly onto your skin, which is recommended by skincare specialists.

​The roller can temporarily shape your face. Rolling the tool up at an angle and then pushing it downward by the ear helps to drain fluid from the face. It helps direct excess fluid to the lymph nodes, making your skin look firmer.

​Experts can’t name the exact reason why people talk in their sleep. Medical studies have shown that it can run in families. Studies in Finland and Japan have found that twins often experience sleep talking that can co-occur with sleepwalking and nightmares. Some researchers suggest that sleep-talking parents are more likely to have children who sleep talk.

​Anyone can mumble in their sleep but some factors, especially sleep deprivation, can lead to sleep talking. Medical experts believe that most people sleep talk when they’re stressed out or sleep-deprived. When we don’t get enough rest, it can influence our brain and affect the quality of our sleep.

​Sleep talking itself is a sleep disorder known as somniloquy. It can happen to anyone at any time, but people with other sleep disorders have an increased risk of disturbing their bedmates with some chatter. Doctors believe that there’s a link between somniloquy, sleepwalking, and nightmares.

​There are many medications that can disrupt sleep as a side effect. Medications that can lead to some sleep behaviors, including sleep talking, usually affect muscle control during sleep. When our muscle tone is increased, it may lead to kicking, punching, jumping out of bed, and talking. Some commonly used medications, like certain antidepressants, can make you chatter in your sleep.

There’s no known way to reduce sleep talking but changing some habits may help us get it under control. Some healthy sleep tips include:
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• avoiding heavy meals close to bedtime
• setting up a cozy bed with a quality mattress and pillows
• avoiding caffeine late in the afternoon and evening
• keeping a consistent sleep schedule every day

Although it’s normal for our hair to fall out on a daily basis, overly large amounts of falling hair and the appearance of bald spots can be quite alarming. Hair loss is often associated with stress; but medical experts have found that beyond stress, our gut may also be responsible for making our hair thin and fall out. This is because our gut is in charge of producing vitamin B7 or biotin, which prevents hair loss and skin disease.

​If you’re one of those people who has struggled with weight and has tried multiple diets and fitness regimens with no results, you might need to re-examine your body. One of the causes of weight gain and weight loss that people don’t really talk about is attributed to your gut health. A gut that is not functioning properly is a gut that cannot absorb the nutrients that the body needs, which can result in nutrition deficiencies and the inability to regulate blood sugar and fat. Not only can poor gut health make you gain weight, but it can also do the reverse.

​The digestive system is responsible for breaking down food and removing toxins from the things we eat. When our gut is sick, the body cannot properly eliminate food toxins, causing us to react to specific foods and gain food intolerances. Symptoms of food intolerance come in the form of nausea, stomach pains, stomach gas, cramps, and diarrhea among others.

​If you’re not having any adverse food reactions, you might be experiencing the opposite, always wanting specific foods. Similar to food intolerance, our gut is not able to process the food we eat and may result in an imbalance. This imbalance can cause increased cravings in the unhealthy food group of sugars and fats, which can be even more detrimental to your gut health.

​In order for us to sleep well, we need a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin, also known as the “happy hormone,” is a chemical that helps our bodies regulate our mood and sleeping patterns. Without a properly functioning gut, we may have trouble falling asleep, which can lead to insomnia and an eventual worn-out immune system, making it easier for us to get sick.

​Our gut is the first line of defense when it comes to fighting diseases in our bodies. Stomach and acid enzymes not only break down our food but they clean and sterilize it to prevent infections from manifesting into sickness. When your gut is not functioning the way it should, it’s unable to correctly process the food you eat, which can result in skin diseases such as eczema and other skin irritations.

​Due to the fact that an unhealthy gut is unable to correctly process food, we may find ourselves taking more frequent trips to the bathroom with an upset stomach. Apart from diarrhea, other symptoms such as feeling bloated and gassy or having heartburn and constipation can be triggers that your gut needs to be cleansed.

​During their shifts guarding the sentry posts, it’s not true that the guards have to stay completely still (they march a short distance from time to time). What is true is that they can never leave their post. Not even to use the bathroom.

What if they’re unable to hold their business and really need to go, you ask? They simply just do it anyway, right there on the spot. The thick woolen pants are supposedly able to cover any trace of the “accident.” We’re not so sure about the smell though.

​After getting an acceptable score on the BARB test, a soldier is ready to join the Queen’s Guard. The salary for this job is paid based on the list defined by the British army, with values starting at £20,400 (or $23,934).

They perform 2-hour shifts standing in the sentry posts. During this period, they march a short distance every 10 minutes. An entire day of work can have 2 or 3 shifts with short breaks for resting.

​The Queen’s Guards’ ability to keep a straight face, even with numerous daily attempts to make them laugh, is seen by some as almost supernatural. But they have some pretty good motivation to resist the temptation.

If a guard smiles while on duty, the fine can be up to $200. Not so funny after all.

​Even though they’re known mostly for their ceremonial duties, the soldiers on the Queen’s Guard are all part of the British Army. Normally, they’re highly trained infantry troops, often with previous combat experience.

Having its own guard of selected soldiers is a practice the monarchy has held since the reign of King Henry VII during the fifteenth century. The ceremonial tradition, however, came a little later, around 1689.

​Maybe one of the main reasons the Queen’s Guards are always so serious is because they hope this will keep any troublemakers away and they won’t have to use their guns — because they’re all empty.

They don’t ever wield loaded guns unless there’s a high-level threat that obliges them to.

​On hot summer days, the heavy coats can cause the soldiers to actually faint in the heat. And if that happens, it’s not as simple as just passing out. The guards have a “fainting etiquette, ” which instructs them to fall on the ground, always facing down, and never letting go of their rifles.

As for the rainy days (and there are quite a lot of those in England), the water can make their bearskin hats feel 4 lb to 9 lb heavier.

​The iconic bearskin hats were designed this way to make the Queen’s Guards look bigger, thus more intimidating in battle. As the name suggests, these hats are actually made out of the fur from black bears.

The guards are also strongly “encouraged” to take good care of their hats, as damaging one could cost them a $400 fine.

​Although the iconic troops are usually associated with male figures, there are more and more women joining the Queen’s Guard.

The first ones performed sentry duties in 2000 outside of the Queen’s official residence in London. More recently, a female soldier was chosen to lead the Queen’s Guard in Buckingham Palace.

​They may not be permitted to laugh, but that doesn’t mean it’s forbidden to have a sense of humor. Every now and then, the Queen’s Guards do have some fun.

Like during the change of the guards, when the band doesn’t play traditional military music, they’ll instead deliver some more entertaining tunes to the hundreds of tourists watching them, such as the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or Austin Powers theme songs.

​The news that parents will soon have a baby may come as a shock for a child. The child used to be the center of the family — everyone cared only about them — and now they’re going to have to fight for their parents’ attention. Many children start to think that their parents decided to find a replacement for them and start to hate their siblings before they’re even born.

This is why it’s extremely important to talk to your children about new babies. Parents need to explain that there are a lot of benefits that come with a new brother or sister. For example, they’ll always have someone to play with, they can teach the baby a lot, and they’ll be a good role model for them. Of course, parents also need to make sure they have enough love for everyone.

When a new child is born, parents get really busy with a lot of work and don’t always notice that some of their actions violate the private space of their first child. For example, they may start giving the child’s toys and other things to the new baby.

When parents do things like this, children stop trusting themselves and start to doubt if they’re important to their parents, resulting in them growing up to be shy.
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• “I teach my kids that there are toys everyone can play with and there are personal toys. Each of my kids has a favorite toy that belongs only to them. So, if they don’t want to share it with someone, they don’t have to.”

​The appearance of a new child is an important event that is, of course, very stressful. The oldest child also has to deal with a lot of stress, which is why good family traditions become even more important. If parents used to read books to their kid before bedtime, sang songs, and brushed their teeth together, they need to continue doing these things.

Family traditions unite its members and help every person feel that they’re important. And the oldest child has a chance to adapt and understand that despite the big changes, their parents will still read books to them before they go to sleep, no matter what.

​The older a child becomes, the more often they have to fight for their personality and the more conflicts they have with the people around them. At moments like these, parents often want to say something along the lines of: “Why can’t you be as nice as your little sister?” But comparing children is not a good idea.

Studies show that such behavior has a negative influence on the psychological state of both kids. One child becomes stressed because the expectations are too high and the other one feels that there’s something wrong with them, which makes the relationship with their parents tense.

​Parents often expect their oldest children to act like adults and to help around the house and with the little children. But the most important job of any child is to develop and grow and not take care of other kids. You can ask your children for help that they can realistically give and show them that being the oldest child is a privilege, not a curse. For example, you can let them go to bed 30 minutes later or let them go to the movies with their friends.

​Sometimes, moms and dads don’t have enough power to pay enough attention to both the newborn child and the oldest child. Parents may start to ignore their oldest children. But such behavior is really dangerous for kids. This may make it very hard for the kids to build communication with others and show them their emotions.

The best solution would be to try to explain to your child that you get really tired and when the new baby grows up a little, they won’t need as much care.

Doctors claim that face to face communication between parents and children helps kids to develop in a healthy way and improves their confidence and learning skills. At the same time, experts say that it’s not about the amount of time you spend together, it’s all about the quality.

This is especially important when everyone is stressed. When a mom or dad finds time to talk to their children, the kids feel special and important.
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• “My biggest advice for parents — split the kids. Let them spend time separately from each other. Walk with one of them, and then with the other, once a week. It will satisfy the need for personal communication with you and you’ll be interested to hear your kids’ secrets. When I went for a walk with my oldest daughter for the first time in a long time, she was just walking, holding my hand. After a long silence (and she’s usually silent only when she’s asleep), she said, ’Mom, it’s so cool to spend time just with you.’ This is how we solved the kids’ jealousy problem.”

​Ph.D. Gwen Dewar says that criticizing is much easier than praising. But if you praise your kids, you improve their self-esteem and develop their communication skills. If your kids feel your support and understand that it makes their parents happy when they get along, they’ll try to get along even better.

​The first experience with deja vu most often happens to kids who are 10 years or younger (only a few younger than 6 years old have deja vu). However, the period when it happens most frequently is between the ages of 15 and 25. After that, the events start to decrease as you age.

​Since experiencing deja vu becomes less frequent as we age, this confused some scientists because it might not mean that there is something wrong with your memory. In fact, it might be a sign of a healthy mind and indicate that you can spot signals that are incorrect.

​There are many experts that believe deja vu has something to do with the way you recall memories. This event might be a response to a situation resembling an experience from the past that you don’t quite remember. Maybe it happened when you were a little kid or you can’t remember for some other reason.

In addition, we tend to notice a lot of details daily but we don’t memorize them. So, you might get the feeling that you have already seen a situation before because of those tiny details you forgot about.

​There are different types of physical and mental signs that can alert you before a seizure, and one of them is experiencing deja vu. So, if you do have a history of seizures, you might want to be on alert if the things around you look familiar but you haven’t been in that position before.

However, the same thing can happen even if you don’t have neurological problems. In fact, deja vu occurs in the same part of the brain. Still, it’s believed that it can only be a delayed transmission between the ears, eyes and other senses.

​You might experience the strange feeling of familiarity more than usual when you are tired and under stress. If it continues, you should consider different ways to get more rest and relax.

This most probably happens because when we are under stress our attention is lower. For example, if you get distracted by a noise while your future partner is about to put the ring on your hand you stop and think for a second. As you continue your action it might strike as deja vu, because it seems like you have been in the same position before.

​There have been cases where deja vu was triggered by anxiety, which makes this mental disorder even worse. Even though scientists have been working on these, they still need to conduct more tests to confirm the experience.

​People who skip meals or eat irregularly often overeat to make up for the food they missed. The human body needs steady nutrition every 3-4 hours to avert metabolism slowdowns, energy dips, crankiness, and cravings. The longer you stay without food, the lower your blood sugar level drops, resulting in the need for sugar in food.

​A lot of people think if they’re starving, they’re losing weight. But in reality, if your daily nutrition is leaving you starving, you won’t stick to it for long. Eating too few calories triggers an emergency mode in your body, causing it to store fat and burn even fewer calories. Your body thinks it needs to save itself and preserve calories for the future.

​As a wise Snickers ad pointed out, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” And when you’re hungry, you’re more likely to reach for the said candy bar rather than a more substantial snack. When the blood sugar level drops, people grow emotionally out of control of what they put in their mouths next. They eat the next thing in front of them, and for most people, this ends up being unhealthy sugary snacks.

Overall, such a diet doesn’t result in the most nourishing lifestyle.

2 hormones affect hunger regulation: ghrelin, which stimulates appetite; and leptin, which suppresses it. When you haven’t eaten for a while, the ghrelin level increases. And after you’ve eaten, leptin tells your body that it’s full.

The hunger barometer isn’t always accurate. Sometimes, especially after undergoing a grueling diet, people can’t hear what their body is trying to tell them. The brain learns to moderate hunger according to one’s lifestyle. So people who always eat once a day can go about their business without feeling any cravings. It doesn’t make eating one meal per day normal.

The impact starvation has on the body, in the long run, can be devastating, from affecting mental health to increasing the risk of chronic diseases. And if you happen to get hungry, it often feels unpleasant. Some of the symptoms that accompany hunger are:
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• difficulty concentrating
• a gnawing feeling in the stomach
• weakness
• dizziness
• nausea and vomiting
• irritability
• headache
• stomach growling
• sleep issues

​Scientists have identified 3 different types of hunger: physical, psychological, and opportunistic. Physical hunger is the normal urge to eat when you don’t have enough food in your stomach. On the contrary, psychological hunger is driven by emotions, and essentially, it’s a craving for something other than food. It’s the desire to feel better or happier, or it could be other strong feelings manifested as hunger.

Finally, there’s opportunistic hunger. You see food lying around and you snap it up just because. It has nothing to do with actual hunger, but the food is available so why not. All in all, it’s important to not mistake the notion of, “I need to fill my body with energy,” for the other 2 forms of hunger.

When you heat up a boiled egg in the microwave, steam builds up from water molecules causing a pressure build-up. Because eggs have a thin membrane and shell, they are unable to hold in all the pressure, which can lead to a very hot explosion in the microwave, on your plate, or even when you take a bite!

​Although carrots can be cooked and heated in a microwave, raw carrots, especially those with the peel still on, can be potentially dangerous. If carrots are not washed properly and have any residue of dirt, the minerals in the soil can cause sparks in the microwave, also known as arcing. Arcing can cause serious damage to your microwave if it continuously happens.

​To begin with, processed meats are not the most nutritious of foods as they contain high amounts of salt, additives, chemicals, and preservatives. But when you add microwave radiation to your favorite deli meats and canned goods, your cholesterol levels can increase, which can lead to heart problems. The safest way to heat your hams and sausages is on the grill or on the stovetop.

​Heating up water in the microwave may seem like the simplest and most hassle-free of your options. But studies show that many burn cases come from scalding water heated in the microwave, especially when handled by children. The electromagnetic waves in a microwave oven can cause water to superheat, which makes water molecules unstable and can cause intense boiling and even explosions!

​Chili peppers, especially the really spicy ones, contain high levels of capsaicin, which can be quite flammable. When capsaicin is exposed to the electromagnetic waves in a microwave, it begins to smoke and can be prone to catching on fire! The fire and smoke that will be released from the microwave can cause skin irritation and burning sensations.

​Chicken is a popular culprit for spreading salmonella, especially when it’s not properly cooked! When you cook a piece of raw chicken in the microwave, the chances of even and thorough cooking are very slim, making it a potential hazard for bacterial contamination. The same thing can be said for other pieces of raw meat. It is best to cook meat thoroughly, over direct heat, like in a pan, on a grill, or in the oven.

​Like boiled eggs, tomatoes can cause an explosive mess when they spend too much time in the microwave. Due to the liquid content in fresh tomatoes and pasta sauce, the pressure buildup causes them to bubble and spurt liquid, leaving your microwave covered in red spatters.

​People tend to evaluate the same situation differently depending on the environment. This was proven by an experiment where people were asked to evaluate products that were located in 2 areas, one with laminate flooring and another with carpet. Respondents walking on the carpet gave the same products better feedback.

For instance, when choosing a job, you might accept one with a nice office, while rejecting another opportunity with better career growth. So to make decisions that will lead you to financial success, try to make sure that visual attributes don’t affect you.

​We often tend to ignore difficulties and unpleasant tasks, hoping that they’ll solve themselves. However, these things might hinder your financial success. Negative feedback from your boss, unpaid bills, conflicts, and more are stopping you from becoming rich.

Being a “Pollyanna” is an adjective given to people who tend to agree with positive comments about themselves exclusively, ignoring all negative information. It originated from the book, Pollyanna, a novel about a girl that could find positive things in everything.

To avoid this mistake, try to take into account all information and evaluate it critically. Accepting problems and taking criticism isn’t easy, but ignoring these things can prohibit the opportunity to improve.

​Researchers conducted an experiment where people were told to imagine that they were doctors that were choosing a type of therapy for a patient. They had a choice: to try the treatment, which led to death in 15% of cases; or not to try any treatment, which was lethal 20% of the time.

13% of people chose to not try any treatment because they’d feel less responsible if the patient died. This cognitive trap makes us believe that not doing anything is safer than trying and taking a risk.

It seems like being passive and watching TV doesn’t cost a lot, but think about all the time you waste. You can work extra hours to earn money, learn new skills, or think about your own business — it simply requires you to take a risk to make some additional income for the future.

​The amount of sharing economy users is expected to double by 2021. For those who don’t know, the sharing economy is a way that consumers can share and use services either for free, for a fee, or through bartering and exchanging goods. Some good examples of this are companies like Airbnb, Uber, and eBay. These platforms give us an opportunity to make extra income from the assets we have. You can rent out your garage, your land, or even the tools you have. Take a look at your possessions and see what things could be useful for others. Creating an ad doesn’t take much time and it will give you an opportunity to make some additional weekly income.

​Some expenses have to be planned many years in advance. If you want to buy a car, it’s better to save money in advance instead of acquiring credit. If you don’t have long-term goals, you’re at risk of spending all your savings or taking on a loan.

​Unless you’re familiar with prices, you’ll end up spending more. Marketers are experts at tricking us, making the temptation to buy products with discounts high — but remember, the same product might be much cheaper in a different store.

​If you decide that films can be seen at home, eating out isn’t for you, or that concert tickets are way too expensive, after some time, you’ll feel burnout and become dissatisfied with your life. While cutting your expenses, you can reduce entertainment spending, but don’t get rid of this entirely. For example, meet up with your friends, but instead having a chat in a restaurant, invite them to your place for a cup of tea.

​You can’t succeed alone, so negotiating skills are an indispensable trait in wealthy people. The best negotiators always have the best salary, working environment, and support from their boss. If negotiations are like taking bullets for you, try different online courses for guidance, and if you want to become affluent, don’t miss the importunity to practice in real life.

​People who are rich tend to have several close friends while the poorest people are among the loneliest. While focusing on finance, we tend to forget about our friends. But the problem with this is that friends have a positive influence on all aspects of our lives, including finance. Having someone who believes in you and is always there for you shouldn’t be overlooked.

​Some people think of being rich as evil, but don’t forget there are good people everywhere. You can become rich and stay a nice person. In fact, if you become rich, you can make this world a better place. Take a look at some of the most warm-hearted billionaires — they donate not only their money but their time and resources as well.