"Did I put a wash on? When is sports day? Did I pay for next week's school trip?" These are just a few of the thoughts that run through my mind after I turn the light off at night. I listen to my husband's soft snores next to me and am in disbelief that he has managed to drift off already. Does he not feel the need to run through the day's to-do list and wonder whether he has enough time to get everything done? I certainly do. Call it the 'mental load' or the 'mother's load', whatever its name, it causes many unsettled nights.
I have always struggled with sleep, in my twenties I experienced such terrible bouts of insomnia that I survived on Red Bull, coffee and Diet Coke. My insides were extremely upset. After I had my first child, I couldn't believe my luck, I suddenly had no problem falling asleep (in those early months, I'd be asleep in seconds, such was my newborn-induced exhaustion), and then, when I had my daughter a couple of years later, nodding off remained easy. I'm now out of the baby phase, but instead am in the midst of the almighty 'juggle', trying to look after a five-year-old, a two-year-old, myself, a home, my relationship, and a job. Whilst I am permanently drained and find falling asleep swiftly, that feeling of anxiety and worry means that I rarely feel like I've had a good sleep. I rarely feel rested.
So, when I was first introduced to Diome Rested, a sleep supplement designed to give you a restful sleep, I was all ears.
Each jar contains 60 capsules, enough to last you the month if you take two at a time. The brand also offers a monthly subscription, which reduces the price to £51 per jar.
What is Rested?
"Rested was designed as a clean solution to support sleep naturally, without melatonin, fillers, or artificial additives," says Naturopath and Director of Product at Diome Emilie Delanoue. She says they wanted to create something different to the other sleep aids on the market, which target the brain. Rested, she explains: "takes a systemic approach that addresses multiple body systems simultaneously: calming the nervous system to ease mental overload and facilitate the natural transition from wakefulness to sleep; supporting digestive processes and elimination, which is crucial since digestive overload often disrupts sleep; providing antioxidant protection to combat inflammation and oxidative stress and gently supporting the body's natural sleep-wake cycle without forcing or overriding natural rhythms."
Founder Jianne Jamil and her team also wanted to create a non-pharmaceutical option that was "non-addictive and supports your body's own capacity to sleep well, so you wake up truly rested and energized, not just sedated."
"I knew from personal experience that there was a real gap in the market for an effective and safe product that would help people not only have more restorative sleep but also feel better in the morning," says Jamil who saw her mother become dependent on sleep medication that was initially prescribed as a short-term protocol.
The formula
Rested is crafted from a blend of premium natural ingredients that work together as a team, each selected for both safety and efficacy.
"While some supplements rely on single ingredients in high doses, we've taken a different approach," says Delanoue. "We carefully select premium ingredients that work together in synergy. Each ingredient has been carefully selected not only for its individual benefits, but also for how it enhances and supports the effects of the other ingredients in the formula."
In Rested's formula, you'll find chamomile to promote relaxation, California poppy and lemon verbena for stress relief, linden flower that acts like an antioxidant with calming effects, rosemary to support cognitive function, cardamom to help with digestion, and black pepper, which enhances how all of these botanical extracts can be absorbed into the body. There are also B-vitamins and a plethora of micronutrients, like zinc and magnesium, that work together to support the body's neurotransmitter production.
First impressions
As someone who works in an industry bursting with supplements promising better hair, skin, and gut health, I am notoriously terrible at taking them. In all honesty, they just feel like another thing to add to my never-ending to-do list. Plus, have you seen the size of some of these things? And, you're meant to take more than one at a time. It's just something I've never got on board with. However, I decided to give Rested a go. The brand recommends taking two half an hour to an hour before sleep. I decided to start with one (something that the brand suggests too "If effects are too strong, you can reduce the dose to 1 capsule"). Despite my prior issues, I have never taken a sleeping tablet. For some reason, I was always put off by the idea of them. Even amid the melatonin craze of today, I have never even flirted with the idea. So, one tablet seemed to me a good starting point. Plus, they're only slightly bigger than a paracetamol, which was a big plus for me.
I'm not sure if there was a slight placebo effect, but on that first night, sleep came easily, and I didn't wake until my alarm the next morning. I was keen to see if this was a fluke and took another the next night. I was woken a few times by tiny humans, but the sleep on either side of those wake-ups felt decent.
I have since experimented with two pills before bed. I usually go for this dosage if I am feeling particularly stressed, knowing that as soon as the lights go off, I will start overthinking and overanalysing. This does seem to do the trick. Whilst I do not think Rested is a cure for my anxiety, I do think that it allows me to switch off and let my mind and body relax overnight.
The verdict
I have been taking Rested now for over three months, and I can honestly say that there has been a dramatic difference in the quality of my sleep. It sometimes takes me a little longer to fall asleep, but my body feels calmer as I drift off. I've also noticed that the way that I jump out of bed in the morning has changed. I no longer feel groggy, desperately clinging to the extra minutes of my snooze button. Instead, I'm able to get up when needed, with a lightness that I used to crave.
