Gulf Coast Wellness

Tips to create an easy healthy lifestyle

Drinking Lemon Water: Morning vs Bedtime

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It’s no secret that drinking lemon water can have miraculous effects on the body. But depending where you get your information, it can be a bit confusing on when the best time to drink lemon water may be. 

There are so many benefits to drinking lemon water. But, believe it or not, the time of day you drink it might make a difference in the effect it has on the body.

 Let’s take a look!

Simple Lemon Water Recipe

  • A big mug of warm water
  • 1-2 tbs of fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • squeeze of honey (optional)

Tip: For an easier no muss, no fuss lemon water routine, Use a citrus juicer to juice lemons ahead of time and freeze perfect portions in an ice cube tray. Drop a cube in your water and you’re done! No cutting board to clean or knives to clean, etc.

FAQ – Can I use Lemon Essential Oil in my water? While Lemon Essential oil is useful in so many ways, this is not one way I would recommend using it. Lemon essential oil is made from the peel, not the juice, so the nutrient profile is completely different. Additionally, as a certified aromatherapist and herbalist, I do not recommend ingestion essential oils unless you are supervised by a qualified, certified professional and are using it for a specific health purpose for a very limited amount of time.

Related: 5 Things to Look For When Buying Essential Oils

Drinking Lemon Water In The Morning

For many reasons, a mug of warm lemon water is highly recommended in the morning, before you consume anything else. When you sleep, you go (hopefully) 8 hours or more without water, which can sometimes make the body feel dehydrated. Naturally, water will break that fast.

Lemon water first thing in the morning will help to begin the rehydration process and boost your metabolism(very important for those that are trying to drop a few pounds). Citruses have always been very popular to help wake the body up and are considered energizing, both in smell and in nutrients.

Of course, I can’t leave out the number one reason lemon water is famous. Weight loss. When you drink lemon water first thing in the morning, you stimulate your digestive system. However weight loss benefits aren’t only to be had in the morning. I’ll get to that in just a minute.

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First thing in the morning it will freshen the mouth (but tastes terrible after toothpaste….just in case you haven’t experienced that yet) Lemon also alkalizes the body which helps keep the body energized, healthy, and fights cancer too! In addition it can boost your brain power and reduce inflammation.

Drinking Lemon Water Before Bed

A cup of warm lemon water can absolutely be part of your nightly routine. Citruses, especially lemon, are powerful detoxifying agents and can help you detox while you sleep.

Drinking a glass of lemon water can also help for those suffering from constipation (I know, no one wants to talk about it, but it’s true!) According to the Gut Health Project, depending on a person’s size, your colon can be holding up to 20 pounds of impacted, toxic, fecal matter.  That could be up to 8 (or more) undigested meals! How disgusting is that??

Remember that bit about weight loss? Before healthy weight loss can happen, the body has to start functioning properly. Lemon water helps with this by cleaning out your intestines which will help drop those pounds. Also, according to Ann Louise Gittleman, many toxins are stored in your fat. Get rid of the toxins and that will also aid shedding unnecessary pounds.

During cold and flu season, it could give that virus a real kick in the pants, particularly if you get a sore throat thanks to lemon’s high levels of vitamin C.

Related: How Much Water Should You Drink Daily?

Ever get heartburn? Lemon water can help with that too! I can personally vouch for that attribute. When I was pregnant I had horrible heartburn and a glass of lemon water took care of that much faster than heartburn medications.

There are tons of benefits to drinking lemon water! But did you know the time of day can affect the health benefits??

What if I don’t like lemon?

If you don’t like lemons, then limes are a good substitute. If you aren’t a fan of limes either then truth be told, about half (maybe less) the benefits are more because of the hydrating aspects of drinking water as opposed to the addition of citrus juices.

So, as you can see, there are plenty of reasons why adding lemon water to either your morning or bedtime routine would be helpful. Personally I love having this as part of my daily routine no matter what time of the day it happens, especially with a little local honey, and perhaps some fresh ginger for an extra naturally medicinal boost.

Sources:
  1. http://www.lemonwaterguide.com/can-you-drink-lemon-water-before-bed/
  2. http://www.livestrong.com/article/324017-body-toxins-from-weight-loss/
  3. https://www.guthealthproject.com/20-pounds-of-poop/
It's no secret that drinking lemon water can give miraculous health benefits, but did you know that those benefits can differ depending on the time of day?? Is morning or bedtime better?

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Comments

  1. Jessica says

    The biggest lemon water benefit may be from the temperature of the water and not even the added lemon. Drinking any water, or especially warm water, first thing in the morning can help flush the digestive system and rehydrate the body.

  2. Carol says

    My morning drink is warm lemon water with crushed ginger and local honey. When I have the beginnings of a virus or my allergies flaring up, I drink it multiple times in the day. I also like room temperature water with citrus anytime. I sometimes drink my warm drink in the evening too, but always in the morning. Great post!

    • CTWellness says

      Thank you! Morning is my favorite too, but since having my munchkin I do it more often in the evening :)

  3. Betty Asphy says

    I believe drinking lemon water day or night is an excellent idea. When I eat at a restaurant, I usually ask for lemon in my water.

    • CTWellness says

      That's an excellent way to get in a little bit extra detox action!

  4. Judith Graber says

    Great post - I have been trying to drink lemon water in the morning on a regular basis, usually room temperature. I can't imagine drinking it before I go to bed. You are recommending once a day, every day? I've heard you can drink too much of it too. How much lemon a day would you suggest and then diluting it to taste and maybe adding a touch of honey.

    • CTWellness says

      Drinking before bed time is not for everyone. Like with anything, moderation is key - so yes, too much lemon (and also too much water!) can cause issues eventually. Lemon and water are pretty safe ingredients so you'd have to ingest A LOT to have issues. My rule of thumb is up to about one juicy lemon a day will give you more than the necessary minimum of vitamin C per day (which would be 4-5 cups once diluted). Of course the amount of juice per lemon can vary so just use your best judgement. It all depends on your purpose and needs for your body, but minimally one cup a day with a squeeze of lemon (maybe 1/4 of a lemon) and local honey if you want a little bit of a sweet balance. When I'm sick I drink up to 4 or 5 cups a day.

  6. Trupti Kharche says

    Lovely post! I drink it daily in the mornings empty stomach.. should start a night routine too. May I please request you to update your post and link it to Fiesta Friday (http://fiestafriday.net/2017/11/10/fiesta-friday-197)and the co-hosts Laurena @ Life Diet Health ((https://lifediethealth.wordpress.com)and Trupti @ My Culinary Saga (https://myculinarysaga.com/)

    • CTWellness says

      Thanks Trupti! I have a link to Fiesta Friday on my party page :)

    • CTWellness says

      Thanks! Ooooh, how nice to have people with green thumbs near you!

  8. Monika Dubey says

    Great information!!Drinking lemon water is an effective detox action...Not only for skin but it has many benefits for health as well.. Thankyou for sharing!...

    • CTWellness says

      Thank you, yes lemon water is definitely one of the easiest and best remedies for a whole slew of things <3

  9. Anita Vein says

    I drink iced lemon water a little during the day and a lot before bed. Is this bad?

    • CTWellness says

      No, it just has different benefits. If a lot before bed, the only bad thing might be having to get up in the middle of the night, lol!

  10. Jean F Burkholder says

    Every morning I warm 4 ounces of water & put in a sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper and a sprinkle of Ginger in it. While this warms I juice half a lemon and add it to 4 ounce of room temperature water. Put these two together and now I have 8 ounces of a lukewarm spicy drink I have learned to love. I'm not sure why or if it is healthy but it makes me feel good.

    • CTWellness says

      Hi Jean, that drink is very healthy. The spicy element gives you some essential vitamins that aren't there without that so, yes, you definitely gave it a kick in more ways than one. I think you might enjoy looking into the Master Cleanse. It's been around since...the 90's I think? Perhaps longer. But it's based in a cayenne, lemon juice, maple syrup (the good stuff) drink.

  11. Glen McInnis says

    I have liver stones having my gall bladder removed years ago. The lemon water is eating away at them. In the last 5 days, after doing lemon for 4 weeks, have passed many into the stomach. You know when you pass a big one, the upper pressure on the liver goes away with a belch and a rushing feeling in the stomach area. It was the day after I started eating dates that released them from the liver. I hear that olive oil releases them too and helps them flow smoothly. So lemon water helps also to prevent stones from forming.

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