If you've slept badly and wake feeling sluggish and unmotivated, this early-morning self-massage routine is designed to invigorate you. It can be done in front of the bathroom mirror or sat on the edge of your bed with your feet on the floor. You'll be squeezing your scalp, stimulating your brain - and giving yourself one serious bedhead.

1. Start with a big stretch in bed. Put your arms behind your head and stretch your arms and legs away from each other as if two forces are pulling you apart. Breathe in deeply as you stretch, count to five, release and repeat.

2. Place your hands either side of your head so your fingers are covering your scalp. Your palms should be about level with your temples and your fingers should be spread out so that the whole of your head is covered.

3. Start to squeeze your scalp, applying pressure and making slow circles with your fingers. Move your fingers together in the same direction, first clockwise, then anti-clockwise. This movement should be slow and deep - not like a vigorous shampoo! Continue for at least 30 seconds.

4. Change position so that your hands are at the back and front of your head. Spread your fingers out and again make slow circles on your scalp, lifting the tissue and moving the skin. Continue for at least 30 seconds.

5. Now move one hand to the side of your head and rest your palm on your temple for support. With the other hand, use your index, middle and ring finger to rub your scalp in a zigzag motion keeping your three fingers flat against your head. Repeat on the other side, then use both hands to work through the middle of the head.

6. Finish by vigorously tapping your scalp with your fingertips (if you prefer, you can use relaxed fists to gently tap your scalp). Increase the speed of the tapping until you fell a pleasant warmth spreading all over your scalp.

Does it work? Breakfast Bill tries our 'rise and shine'

Bill Turnbull, a presenter on BBC Breakfast, is no stranger to the wee small hours. He agreed to put our 'rise and shine' massage sequence to the ultimate test: the 3.45am alarm call ...

I'm on air at 6am for three and a quarter hours, so I have to be energised and awake in the morning. I have two alarms: one that goes off at 3.44am and one that goes off at 3.45am. I usually tiptoe downstairs so I don't wake my wife and begin my 10-minute pilates sequence.

Pilates not only keeps my stomach trim, it also wakes me up gently by encouraging me to focus on my breathing and movement. It's not aerobic, but it certainly gets the blood flowing and keeps everything working.

Breakfast is healthy: a homemade fruit salad and cup of tea at 5am in the studio, while I'm reading through my scripts. You have to stay healthy and very strict with yourself if you're going to survive getting up at these hours.

At 11.30am I'll get back in my pyjamas and have a proper sleep again until 1pm. Some people can go without, but if I don't get this second nap, I'm a total basketcase. I sometimes wake thinking I've missed the entire show, but it's a deep, refreshing sleep that sees me through until bedtime. I try to get to bed by 9.45pm at the latest. You can't fight against a 3.45am wake-up - it'll win every time.

I appreciate I'm a bit of an extreme case but, for a change, I agreed to give the "rise and shine" massage sequence a try. Unfortunately, I found it rather difficult to do the giant stretch in bed with my wife asleep next to me. I also forgot a few times, because I'm so used to turning off the alarm clock and immediately hauling myself out of bed.

Once in the bathroom, though, I found it a little odd padding and prodding myself in front of the mirror. I was fairly firm with myself and created deep pressure to really wake myself up. It did work. But then, so would putting your head in a vice in the morning.

Before you begin ...

Self-massage is fairly intuitive. With a handful of simple techniques, you'll be able to wake yourself up in the morning, lift bad moods, conquer stress and send yourself to sleep at night. But before you get going, keep these simple suggestions in mind:

· Begin each massage by closing your eyes and breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth three times (slowly and deeply - don't force your breath). This will help you to really focus on the massage and increase the oxygen levels in your body.

· Try to find a peaceful and comfortable place where you won't be disturbed. If you're in an office find a quiet meeting room or unoccupied toilet. If you can't find a quiet spot, try closing your eyes to shut out the surrounding chaos.

· When applying pressure, you might experience an initial twang of pain. Be careful and, if necessary, decrease the pressure slightly, but continue to hold the area to relieve any tension.

· Any massage movement you do should be deliberate and rhythmical, not jerky or rushed. Remember, five minutes of focused massage is more beneficial than 15 minutes of hurried, interrupted massage.