Αντιμετωπίζω καλύτερα τις δύσκολες μέρες όταν δεν βασίζομαι μόνο στον καφέ και κοιμάμαι λίγο νωρίτερα.

Because Greek often drops subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending.

Here, the verbs:

• αντιμετωπίζω
• βασίζομαι
• κοιμάμαι

are all 1st person singular, so they already mean I deal, I rely, I sleep.
You could add εγώ for emphasis, but normally it is not necessary.

Αντιμετωπίζω literally has the sense of face, deal with, or handle.

In this sentence, it means something like:

• I handle
• I cope with
• I deal with

So Αντιμετωπίζω καλύτερα τις δύσκολες μέρες means I handle difficult days better.

It is in the present tense, which in Greek often describes a general habit or something that is usually true, not only something happening right now.

Because καλύτερα is an adverb, not an adjective.

• καλύτερος / καλύτερη / καλύτερο = better as an adjective, describing a noun
• καλύτερα = better as an adverb, describing a verb

Here it describes αντιμετωπίζω:
I handle them better.

So:

• καλύτερες μέρες = better days
• αντιμετωπίζω καλύτερα = I handle better

This is the direct object of αντιμετωπίζω, so it appears in the accusative plural.

Breakdown:

• οι μέρες = the days (nominative plural)
• τις μέρες = the days (accusative plural)
• δύσκολες agrees with μέρες in gender, number, and case

So:

• οι δύσκολες μέρες = the difficult days as a subject
• τις δύσκολες μέρες = the difficult days as an object

Since the speaker is handling the days, they are the object.

Όταν means when.

It introduces the time clause:

όταν δεν βασίζομαι μόνο στον καφέ και κοιμάμαι λίγο νωρίτερα
= when I don’t rely only on coffee and sleep a little earlier

In Greek, όταν is commonly followed by the present tense when talking about repeated or habitual situations. That is exactly what is happening here: this is a general statement about what usually helps.

That is a very common Greek learner question.

Βασίζομαι has middle/passive-style endings, but its meaning here is active-like: I rely.

This is normal in Greek. Some verbs are used in forms that look passive but have meanings that are not really passive in English.

So:

• βασίζομαι σε κάτι = I rely on something
• literally, it is not translated as I am relied

It is just the standard dictionary form for this meaning.

Because the verb βασίζομαι normally goes with σε:

• βασίζομαι σε = rely on

So the phrase is:

• σε τον καφέ → contracted to στον καφέ

This is very common in Greek:

• σε + τον = στον
• σε + τη(ν) = στη(ν)
• σε + το = στο

So μόνο στον καφέ means only on coffee / only on coffee as support.

Because it modifies στον καφέ: the idea is not relying only on coffee.

So:

• δεν βασίζομαι μόνο στον καφέ = I don’t rely only on coffee

The placement of μόνο helps show what is being limited.
Here, the limitation is coffee as the sole support.

If you moved μόνο, the emphasis could shift slightly.

Yes, κοιμάμαι also has middle/passive-style endings, but it means I sleep.

This is simply the normal verb for to sleep in Modern Greek.

So again, the form may look passive to an English speaker, but the meaning is not passive. Greek has many everyday verbs like this.

Compare:

• κοιμάμαι = I sleep
• κοιμίζω κάποιον = I put someone to sleep

It means a little earlier or slightly earlier.

Breakdown:

• νωρίτερα = earlier
• λίγο = a little / slightly

So κοιμάμαι λίγο νωρίτερα means:

• I go to sleep a little earlier
• or more literally, I sleep a bit earlier

Greek often uses νωρίτερα rather than νωρίς when the idea is earlier than usual or earlier than before.

Because νωρίτερα is a comparative adverb: earlier.

That fits the idea of changing your routine:

• νωρίς = early
• νωρίτερα = earlier

So the sentence is not just saying the speaker sleeps early in some absolute sense. It says they sleep earlier than they normally do.

That is why λίγο νωρίτερα sounds very natural here.

Yes.

The structure is:

• όταν δεν βασίζομαι μόνο στον καφέ
• και κοιμάμαι λίγο νωρίτερα

Together, these mean:

when I don’t rely only on coffee and I sleep a little earlier

So both actions belong inside the when clause, and both are presented as reasons the speaker handles difficult days better.

It sounds like a general truth or habitual statement.

That is because:

• all the verbs are in the present tense
• the meaning is broad and repeatable
• όταν with the present often describes something that happens regularly

So the sentence is understood as:

I tend to handle difficult days better when I don’t rely only on coffee and sleep a little earlier.

Not just one single occasion.