Can an olive oil and lemon nightcap really work wonders? Experts weigh in

Somewhere between magnesium doses and chlorophyll water, bedtime wellness stopped being about rest; it became all about results. Sleep is no longer passive; it’s productive. And the latest ritual to enter its softly-lit, algorithm-approved universe is deceptively simple: a shot of extra virgin olive oil and lemon before bed. It’s being framed as everything modern wellness loves–ancient, accessible, and aesthetic. The claims? Smoother digestion, clearer skin, better sleep, reduced inflammation, and even an overnight detox. On social media, it’s being treated as the holy grail of at-home remedies. Common ingredients. Great benefits for the whole body. Or so the narrative goes. 

Like most viral rituals, the appeal lies in familiarity. This isn’t an expensive collagen supplement or a lab-born pill. It’s pantry wisdom–think Mediterranean kitchen meets grandmother logic. It feels rooted in clean ingredients rather than engineered. But wellness has always known how to romanticise the ordinary. Beneath the cinematic promise of glow and reset, the physiology is… quieter. Nutrition expert and fitness coach Anaheez Patel cuts through the noise and puts it plainly: “Olive oil is just fat. Fat slows digestion. For some people, that might feel ‘soothing.’ For others, especially if you’re prone to reflux like me, taking fat right before lying down can actually make things worse.” She adds, “Lemon is mostly water and acid. It doesn’t ‘detox’ you. Your liver doesn’t need citrus, it’s already doing its job all day, every day.”

This is not to say the ingredients themselves lack value. Extra-virgin olive oil contains anti-inflammatory compounds and monounsaturated fats, which are widely associated with long-term heart health. Lemon provides vitamin C, an essential nutrient for collagen synthesis. But as Patel notes, context matters: “Olive oil is metabolically supportive when it replaces poorer fats in your diet long term. It’s more about overall patterns, not bedtime rituals.”

Timing, in other words, is not a shortcut. One of the ritual’s biggest promises–glowing skin by morning–is perhaps the most seductive. The idea that a single nightly shot could fast-track radiance fits neatly into the overnight transformation logic that beauty culture thrives on. Dr Madhuri Agarwal, dermatologist and director of Yavana Aesthetics Clinic, is clear about the limits here: “From a dermatological point of view, there is currently no credible evidence suggesting that this particular ritual results in a visible glow by morning.” Skin, she reminds us, doesn’t operate on TikTok timelines. Even the popular “detox” narrative begins to unravel under scrutiny. “The liver is not a drainpipe that becomes clogged and requires flushing”, she adds.

That said, dismissing the ritual entirely would miss why it resonates. A small amount of fat before bed may support bile release and bowel regularity in some individuals, which can indirectly influence skin by improving gut function. But as Dr Agarwal notes, this is assisting with normal digestive function and not evidence of liver detox. There are also nuances worth considering. Liquid calories are easy to forget. That extra 100 to 250 calories a night can quietly add up. For some, like Patel, fat before lying down may aggravate reflux. Lemon’s acidity may irritate sensitive stomachs and, over time, enamel. In other words, the ritual is neither miracle nor menace. It is simply… a habit. And perhaps that’s the real story.

In an era where wellness often feels punishingly optimised (read: tracked, quantified, and monetised), this ritual offers something softer: the comfort of doing something small. Not transformative. Not medically profound. But tangible. Because if sleep has become the ultimate luxury, rituals are its accessories. And the olive-oil-lemon shot fits neatly into a cultural moment that prefers aesthetic effort to systemic change.

Because the truth is less cinematic: hormones won’t reorganise themselves overnight, skin won’t glow by morning, and metabolic switches aren’t flipped by a tablespoon of oil. Still, if the ritual makes you pause, breathe, feel intentional before bed… perhaps its value isn’t biochemical; it’s behavioural. And in the theatre of modern wellness, that might just be enough.

All images: Pexels

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