Problem: Article: Sometimes we eat at night because we are genuinely hungry, especially if we deprive ourselves of calories throughout the day. Other times, nighttime eating is due to emotional hunger. Identifying whether your nighttime eating is physical or emotional is an important step in dealing with the problem. Does your hunger come on suddenly or gradually? Emotional hunger is more likely to manifest itself in the form of a sudden craving. Physical hunger comes on gradually. What kinds of foods are you craving? When you're experiencing emotional hunger, you're more likely to crave sweet or salty comfort foods than something substantial. Do you eat enough calories during the day? If you're on a calorie restricted diet or if you're skipping meals, then you'll likely experience physical hunger at night. If you've had a full meal earlier, however, your hunger is probably emotional. In order to understand where and why you're overeating at night, keep track of your day and night routine. You can identify factors that encourage nighttime eating. Are you restricting your caloric intake or skipping meals? If this is the case, you end up thinking about food throughout the day. This encourages you to indulge in mindless snacking at night. Skipping breakfast is especially bad when it comes to encouraging nighttime eating. Do you do any pre-planning when it comes to dinner? Oftentimes, people hastily throw an unhealthy dinner together that leaves them feeling hungry later on. People also sometimes snack during dinner preparation, meaning they eat less of the substantial meal they cooked and fill up on empty calories. This results in hunger cravings later on. What is your post-dinner routine like? Oftentimes, people change into their PJ's and end up on the couch on their laptop or watching TV before bed. While nothing is wrong with a little rest and relaxation after a long day, mindless eating often happens during this time. People tend to snack while they watch TV or go online and do not pay much attention to what they're consuming. Four main hormones are often times the culprit when it comes to nighttime eating. An abundance or a deficit in insulin, leptin, ghrelin, Peptide YY, or cortisol can lead to nighttime snacking. Know what behaviors can affect your hormone levels and how to help your body properly regulate the hunger causing hormones. Insulin helps the body process sugar. Insulin tends to increase greatly in response to empty calories in the form of processed sugars and refined wheats. The spike is temporary, and the crash that comes afterwards leaves you hungry later on. Avoid sugary foods and white breads and pastas, especially around dinner time, as this can help maintain insulin levels and ward off unwanted hunger. Leptin is a hormone that is basically responsible for letting our brains know when our bodies are full. However, an increase intake in sugar, flour, and processed foods interferes with Leptin's ability to make you feel full. Yet again, avoiding sugary, processed calories throughout the day allows leptin to adequately protect us from overeating. Ghrelin is the hunger hormone and helps regulate the appetite. It lets us know when we need to eat and, as is the case with the above hormones, can be thrown off by erratic eating habits and poor quality foods. Eat regularly and eat enough calories each day, in the form of whole wheats, fruits and veggies, and lean proteins. Peptide YY is a hormone found in the intestine that, much like leptin, contributes to letting the body know it has enough food. When our intestines are not being provided with quality calories, Peptide YY will signal we need more food even if we've consumed amount of calories. Fill up on substantial foods rather than empty carbs and sweets. Cortisol is the stress hormone. While less directly related to hunger than the above hormones, a rise in cortisol triggers a rise in insulin and blood sugar. This makes us hungry. In other words, stress can lead to overeating. Look into ways to reduce overall stress, such as exercise and meditation. This keeps cortisol in check and hunger at bay.
Summary: Know the difference between emotional and physical hunger. Track your daily routine. Understand how to control the hormones behind hunger.

Problem: Article: Rather than wallpapering the whole room, apply it to the sofa wall alone. The resulting background will reframe your seating area while adding a splash of color and texture. And, since it provides such a striking contrast, it can help break up the visual monotony of bigger rooms. Keep the design consistent with the palette you've picked out for the room, as well as its general energy. A coral and seafoam green chevron pattern will look out of place in a room with elegant Victorian decor, but will be right at home in one done up in colorful 1960s retro. Even if there's nothing behind it, it will add an air of chic mystery. A simple wood slat screen should be versatile enough for most homes, or you could go with an elaborately painted Chinese style to suit other exotic accessories. Be sure to unfold the screen so it will fit neatly behind the couch, unless you prefer to keep your seating pulled in closer to the center of the room. Update an uninspired screen with a fresh coat of paint or a DIY distressing job. A changing screen may be just the thing you need to conceal tangles of electronics cords near the wall outlet. For a no-fuss fix to your wall problem, all you need is a few coils of plastic stringer lights and a little imagination. Drive nails or push pins into the wall, then loop the lights around them in whatever configuration you find appealing. Colored lights are the more festive way to go, while white bulbs will be subtle enough to suit just about any space. Have fun with your stringer lights by twisting them into words or symbols. Naturally, string lights double as a source of illumination. Their soft glow can be perfect for when you want it dim but not too dark. Board-and-batten is an accenting technique that involves layering thin boards over an existing wall to give it added visual texture. The boards are arranged vertically or horizontally, or at intersecting angles for a latticed look. This unique design style can be a practical answer for those looking for a less conventional way to freshen up a sitting room wall. Board-and-batten is relatively inexpensive and simple to install if you know what you're doing. If you're not confident in your ability to tackle the project yourself, call a professional contractor to come in and do it right.
Summary:
Use wallpaper to create a focal point. Set up a changing screen. Tack up some stringer lights. Try out a board-and-batten finish.