Picture this: You stumble out of bed, fuzzy brained, because you didn't sleep well last night.
There are two choices: shower or coffee.
You pick the shower.
When you get there the sound of running water comes from the room.
Someone has beaten you to the bathroom.
Coffee, then, you mutter and stumble toward the kitchen.
The coffee pot is in the usual spot, and you fill it up with water before you reach for the coffee grounds.
There are none.
Thankfully there is no one else in the room to hear you groan out loud.
This has all the ingredients of a bad day, doesn't it? Not really.
There are some things you can do to make it better.
Firstlysmile.
Then make the decision to get a good night's sleep.
And thirdly on the way to work go through the drive through at Maccas and get an extra-large coffee.
Here are some hints to assist you in sleeping better:

• Caffeine consumed late at night will keep you awake: Try not to have any coffee or any other drink containing caffeine after 5pm.
  So when you buy those coffee grounds save them for the morning.
  
• Have a bedtime routine: It will be the prompt for your mind to begin to relax.
  A habit takes 21 days to form, so you will find your mind and body switching off at night if you keep it up for that period of time.
  
• Progressive relaxation techniques: If your mind is tense, and your muscles tight, this can interfere with sleep.
  Try lying flat in bed and concentrating on tensing and releasing each muscle, starting with your left foot and working up your body.
  The key here is to concentrate fully on the muscle you are tensing and relaxing and clear other thoughts from your mind.
  
• Temperature: If your bedroom is too hot or too cold this could interfere with getting to sleep and staying asleep.
  Make sure it's slightly cooler in the bedroom before switching off the light.
  It will help you drop off.
  
• White Noise: Excessive background noise can interfere with sleeping.
  If you are in a noisy neighbourhood, then something simple as running afan in the room could assist you with continuing to sleep.
  

If you are still having problems consider consulting a doctor.
There could be other reasons you are sleeping badly.
Remember to keep a list of symptoms if you take this course, so the doctor will have something concrete to go off.
Good luck and shake hands with Morpheus.