Curb Appeal
The hard truth is that first impressions matter, especially in real estate. If your home exterior is frumpy, dated or uninviting, potential homebuyers are less inclined to want to see the interior. Freshen the face of your home with the following:

Get a new front door. The top-ranking home improvement might surprise you. According to Remodeling Magazine’s 2014 “Cost vs. Value” report, a new steel front door adds 96.6 percent of the amount you spent to the value to your home. Replace your current door with a more modern style—or at the least, paint it a fresh, bright color.
Flip your yard. Add pops of colorful flowers or a new stone walkway. Fresh sod can make a substantial difference, and it’s also a fairly easy weekend project. Keep your landscaping choices simple and low-maintenance.
Replace the siding. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), new fiber-cement siding will add 79.3 percent of the cost to your home’s resale value.

Get New Windows
The age and quality of a home’s windows are a big selling point, because no one wants to deal with the stress of rickety old ones. Buyers are looking for homes equipped with energy-efficient windows that reduce drafts and their energy bills. Furthermore, these types of windows appeal to eco-minded homebuyers. Replacing your windows with insulated vinyl windows will add almost 80 percent of the cost to your home’s value.

Finish Your Attic or Basement
Finishing the space in your attic or basement is a big perk for homebuyers with children, who need the added storage and room for entertaining. Attics are great for additional bedrooms or a secluded office. Basements, because they generally lack much natural light, are perfect spaces to put a game or bonus room. You’ll recoup about 70 percent of this project’s cost when it comes time to sell, NAR found.

Mini Kitchen Renovation
Kitchens are another huge selling point, so give yours a little TLC. While kitchen renovations are encouraged and will generally increase the value of your home, don’t go overboard. Make the necessary upgrades with a practical budget in mind. It can be as simple as painting the cabinets and replacing the hardware. Or, upgrade your current appliances with new state-of-the-art ones. Install a tile backsplash or swap out your countertops to give your kitchen a brand-new feel.

These brown and aqua coloured leather heels were purchased in Athens, Greece, while on my honeymoon. I rarely get to wear them, as they are extra naughty looking, but my husband sure loves them!

My white and beige Nine West sandals fit with so many of my casual spring and summer dresses and short sets. I love these shoes, as they look classy and complete all of my outfits so I look elegant on every occasion. They’re also a short heel which is perfect for me since I am 5 foot 9 inches.

Chavala’s 3:

You cannot go wrong with a sexy heel. I love this BCBG one. It is a mix of classic elegance (the strappy velvet with gold piping) and rock and roll vibe (snake print). I wear them with a simple black cocktail dress to add a little edge or for a fun night out against a vibrant hue of purple. When I wear them I feel strong, sexy and a whole lot of naughty.

A great bootie for summer or fall adds a different vibe to any look. I love these brown suede ones. Isabel Marant is the go to designer but pricey. A more affordable version can be found at Aldo and Town Shoes. I wear these with black tight leather leggings to get a boho vibe or with a fun summer dress. I feel carefree and cool.

A wedge is a great go to staple in my wardrobe. Wedges go with everything and they always make me feel fun and flirty. There are so many options out there that range from pricey Louboutin to great affordable versions by the likes of Chinese Laundry or Michael Kors. I wear these ones with everything from jeans, dresses and shorts.

According to the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology, 45 percent of adults snore occasionally, and 25 percent are habitual snorers. Problem snoring is more frequent in males and overweight persons, and it usually grows worse with age.

Dr. Cheung says, “Snoring is a problem much more complicated than it seems. It is often secondary to multiple factors: mainly excessive weight, excessive soft tissue in the throat, and loss of muscle tone due to aging. The inability to breathe through the nose can also lead to snoring.”

Snoring can be detrimental to your health. In the most severe form of sleep disorder it is called obstructive sleep apnea. In this case, the individual is awoken repeatedly throughout their night. This leads to poor sleep quality and excessive daytime fatigue. In the long run, this can lead to heart disease such as heart failure.

Untreated sleep apnea can contribute to many problems, including difficulty with learning and memory, poor job performance, and depression.

Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that people with sleep apnea are two to seven times more likely than healthy persons to have a traffic accident.

What is Snoring?
It occurs when there is an obstruction to the free flow of air through the passages at the back of the mouth and nose. This area is the collapsible part of the airway where the tongue and upper throat meet the soft palate and uvula. Snoring occurs when these strike each other and vibrate during breathing.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea
When loud snoring is interrupted by frequent episodes of completely obstructed breathing, it is known as obstructive sleep apnea. Serious episodes last more than ten seconds and occur more than seven times per hour. Patients who have apnea problems may even experience 300 events per night. This can lead the individual’s heart to pump even harder because blood oxygen levels are reduced.

The immediate effect of sleep apnea is that the snorer must sleep lightly and keep his muscles tense in order to keep airflow to the lungs. Because the snorer does not get a good rest, he may be sleepy during the day, which impairs job performance. After many years with sleep apnea, elevated blood pressure and heart enlargement can occur.

How can you stop snoring?
Heavy snorers should seek medical advice to ensure that sleep apnea is not a problem. IF indicated, an ear, nose, throat surgeon will provide a thorough examination. The patient’s sleeping may be studied at home or in a laboratory to determine how serious the snoring is and what effects it has on the health of the individual.

Treatment
Treatment depends on the diagnosis. An examination will reveal if the snoring is caused by nasal allergy, infection, deformity, or tonsils and adenoids.

Self-Help for the Light Snorer
Dr.Cheung recommends that adults who suffer from mild or occasional snoring should become active to develop good muscle tone and lose weight, and avoid alcohol and consuming food for three hours before going to sleep.

He says, “Try to maintain regular sleeping patterns, and try sleeping on your side rather than your back. You can even tilt the head of your bed upwards four inches.”

Talk to your doctor
The most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) which is a mask that delivers air pressure into the throat. For those cases where CPAP is ineffective or not tolerated, a dental appliance may be beneficial.

Snoring or obstructive sleep apnea may also respond to various treatments now offered by many otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons, including Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty which tightens flabby tissues in the throat and palate, and expands air passages.

Thermal Ablation Palatoplasty refers to procedures and techniques that treat snoring and some of them also are used to treat various severities of obstructive sleep apnea. Different types include bipolar cautery, laser, and radiofrequency.

Genioglossus and hyoid advancement is a surgical procedure for the treatment of sleep apnea. It prevents collapse of the lower throat and pulls the tongue muscles forward, thereby opening the obstructed airway.

“People with sleep apnea should seek treatment, as it can cause negative health implications in the long run. Other lifestyle changes can be suggested by your doctor, which can eliminate some of your sleep apnea symptoms as well as risk for other diseases,” says Dr. Cheung.