Why Dr Linia recommends Rest in clinical practice

Energy - or a lack of it - is one of the biggest reasons women come to see me.

Food is my jam, so I wish I could say nutrition fixes everything. Balanced blood sugars and smart nutrition make a big dent, absolutely. But my clinical approach is grounded in performance — and that means addressing energy holistically. Looking at the full picture.

WHAT DOES THE FULL PICTURE LOOK LIKE? 

If you’re struggling with energy, you have to begin by looking upstream. It’s rarely just one thing.

• Are you hydrated?
• Are you excluding carbs - or snacking on the wrong ones?
• Is there enough protein to steady you between meals?
• Has your doctor ruled out iron deficiency or thyroid issues?
• Where are you in your menstrual cycle?
• How are you moving?
• How resilient do you feel right now, honestly, on a scale of 1–10?
• And… how is your sleep?

Because sleep is what allows us to rest. And rest is what charges our batteries, so we wake up with ENERGY. 

SLEEP: THE REAL FOUNDATION

People will meticulously plan their nutrition, take supplements, follow an exercise programme… yet forget about sleep.

Sleep isn’t just a pillar of health - it’s the foundation. Every other pillar rests on it. You can eat imperfectly and move a little and still live a long life. But if you don’t sleep, everything unravels quickly. And even short-term sleep deprivation makes everything feel harder. Energy for starters but so much more too.

Chronic poor sleep:

• Makes weight loss harder and muscle loss more likely
• Affects skin (beauty sleep is real)
• Increases inflammation and accelerates ageing
• Disrupts hormones and mood
• Impairs memory, focus and decision-making
• Disrupts the gut microbiome
• Increases risk of chronic diseases like Type II diabetes and dementia

It kills your mojo.

WHY SLEEP IS SO CHALLENGING 

Most of us know sleep is important. But let’s be real - life feels busy. There never seem to be enough hours in the day. So we steal time from sleep. The three most common issues I see:

• Not getting enough sleep
• Struggling to fall asleep
• Waking at 2am or 4am with a racing mind

THE GOAL 

Entire books are written on sleep, so let’s keep this simple. Most people need 7–9 hours per night. Seven hours asleep should be your baseline - which means building in wind-down time. You can’t stop working at 10:29pm and expect to be asleep by 10:30pm.

• Start heading toward bed earlier than you think.
• To find your sweet spot, spend a week noting how long you sleep and how you feel the next day. Old-school works. Gadgets can help, but they’re not 100% accurate - especially for sleep stages - so don’t get overly attached to the data.

HOW TO SLEEP SOUNDLY

Here are tools I regularly use with clients:

1. Create a sleep routine

If you’ve ever had children, you know the power of a bedtime routine. Bath, story, dim lights, sleep. Adults are no different. Your body needs cues to transition from “on” to “off.” Light, screen exposure, sound, room temperature — all of this influences melatonin release. Good sleep hygiene matters.

2. Design better days for better nights

Sleep quality is shaped during the day:

• Eat to stabilise blood glucose
• Hydrate earlier so you’re not drinking loads before bed
• Minimise caffeine and nicotine later in the day
• Remember: alcohol feels relaxing but disrupts deep sleep 

   

3. Be consistent

Your circadian rhythm thrives on routine. Consistent sleep and wake times - even on weekends - make a difference. There’s truth in “early to bed, early to rise.” Many sleep experts suggest sleep before midnight is especially restorative.

4. Do a brain dump 

If your mind loops at night, try this: before bed, write down everything on your mind — on paper, not your phone. Research shows that manually offloading your thoughts reduces bedtime rumination. 

WHEN YOU NEED EXTRA SUPPORT 

Sometimes lifestyle foundations are in place and you still need support - especially during stressful periods, travel, or hormonal shifts. That’s when I turn to INDI Rest. It’s part of my clinical toolkit - and it travels with me.

WHY I RECOMMEND REST 

INDI Rest contains a potent blend of natural ingredients designed to ease anxiety, quiet racing thoughts and support deep, restorative sleep. In trials, 89% of participants saw improvement in sleep within one week - and no one reported next-day grogginess. The ingredients in INDI rest are formulated to work on calming your nervous system, speeding up the onset of sleep and improving sleep quality.

WHAT TO EXPECT

• Within 15–30 minutes: A sense of calm. A quieter mind. Reduced anxiety.
• Overnight: Nothing - because you’re asleep! 
• The next morning: Rested. Relaxed. Refreshed. Full of ENERGY.

And that’s the goal.