I know how it is. You wake up at 6 a.m. and get ready for work, bust your butt all day, staying an extra hour to work on a project that's due at the end of the week. Maybe you run a few errands or stop by the gym for a workout on your way head home, finally you get to cook dinner and finish some laundry. By the time you're done washing the dishes and have prepped for the next day, it's 9:30 p.m., bedtime.

You know it's your bedtime, but you've had a long day and would like some "me" time. You worked so hard, you earned it, time to catch up on Game of Thrones, what's an hour of TV going to hurt? 

It took me a long time to realize that the extra hour of TV simply wasn't worth it. A lack of sleep was ruining my life. Not only was it greatly hindering my results in the gym, but most important it was making my days miserable. Compared to most, I slept quite a bit, anywhere from 6-7 hours a night, still not nearly what I needed though. Falling even slightly short of what I needed was leaving me feeling tired, ruining my memory and cognitive function, constantly moody, and feeling like I was just surviving the day, not thriving through it.

I was tired of being tired, so I decided to set a goal and really focus on my sleep quality and quantity. Improving my sleep quality meant that I started writing in a journal morning and night, adding more carbohydrates into my diet, and taking some supplements that help manage stress. Improving my quantity simply meant that I went to bed at a certain hour, no matter what. For me, I wake up between 4-4:30 a.m., so that means I'm in bed by 8 p.m. (insert old man joke here).

After a few weeks of consistent sleep I began to notice that everything was changing, I wake up before my alarm looking forward to going to work, my mood stabilized, I have energy for my workouts, I don't feel as stressed, and I'm able to get a whole lot more done with the time I have due to improved cognitive function. All of that is great, but most importantly I get more enjoyment out of life.

Now after a crazy day with no free time, I opt to go to bed rather than watch a bit of TV, it's not worth losing sleep. Suffering through a day of life for an hour of TV just doesn't make sense.

I'll be sharing some tips for improved sleep soon, so be sure to check back in for that!