SAMMY MARGO: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

When it comes to our morning and sleep routines, most of us have very different styles. Some of us (ahem, night owls) might hit snooze a million times before getting out of bed and scrambling to pull together a look, while others — those bright-eyed morning people — might rise with the sun and crack on with the day.

There’s no right way to spend those first few hours of daylight, but we’ve sat down and spoken to Chartered Physiotherapist and Sleep Expert, Sammy Margo to see how she gets ready each and every morning before she goes about her day!

4.30am – 7.00am:

“I usually wake at 4:30 in the morning. I love the mornings and get a lot of thinking stuff done first thing – including writing this blog! I am most definitely a morning person, I spring out of bed and get into my gym gear, and then I’ll jump straight into an hour of work whilst enjoying my morning coffee.

After my ‘hour of power’, I head off to the gym to lift weights. I love weight lifting. It lifts my mood and keeps me on track for the day. Exercising first thing in the morning is a great way to start the day and it sets my body clock (circadian rhythm ) for sleep in 16 to 18 hours’ time.”

7.00am – 09.00am:

“Around this time I’ll jump into mum-mode and make sure my son is all set for school. As a mum, I love to do the school run at both ends of the day and make sure that my work is scheduled in between this. Often this means that I am rushing between the two, but it is so worth it! After doing the school run I head straight off to work.

At around 10am I will have my last cup of coffee for the day! I tend not to drink caffeine after 10am as it affects my quality of sleep. Some of us can be caffeine sensitive and feel the effects hours later. so keep your coffees to the morning and don’t forget that some herbal/green teas also contain caffeine.”

09.00am – 5.00pm:

“My working day is very full-on and physical treating patients in the clinic and at their homes (now with PPE and following guidelines)

This means that I have to eat little and often at the same times each day. As a reformed sugar addict, I make sure that I eat protein at most mealtimes and hide the biscuits! This definitely keeps me calmer and also helps my sleep routine. Turkey is a great sleep aid as it contains tryptophan which is a precursor to your sleepy hormone ‘melatonin’.

We usually have socially distanced meetings throughout the day to discuss patients' progress and clinical development as well as lots of reflective learning. Learning and development in Physio never stops so it's a great profession for anyone interested in people.

5.00pm – 9.00pm:

“The evenings are often spent working on the computer or relaxing with friends. My son uses this time to do his homework and limited social media. I do make sure that both of us have a technology cut-off which usually takes place by 8pm.

This is so that we can reduce our blue light exposure which may have an effect on the quality of our sleep. This includes the TV screen, Xbox and the PS4! My life is all the Fs – Food, Football, Fifa and Fortnite.

I’m also not a drinker but on the odd occasion when I do drink, I know that I won’t get the best night’s sleep. This is because alcohol prevents you from falling into the deeper stages of sleep, leaving you feeling groggy the next day.”

9.00pm – 10.00pm:

“Our bedtime routine usually means that we start winding down at around 9 o’clock. My son has a similar bedtime routine but getting a teenager into bed can be tricky at times with all the tech around. Reading at bedtime is also a good habit for teens in terms of creating positive communication together. Teaching teens the value of sleep is therefore a really important lesson.

My wind down time involves listening to an audiobook, having a warm shower and a camomile tea. I then end my day by getting into bed at around 10.”