Apple cider vinegar may offer health benefits, including supporting weight loss and lowering blood sugar. But drinking it at night does not seem to have any added benefit over drinking it during the day.

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Apple cider vinegar has been used in the culinary world and for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years.

It’s made by combining apples with yeast to create alcohol, which is then fermented into acetic acid by added bacteria. Apple cider vinegar also contains water, vitamins, minerals, and trace amounts of other acids.

A recent trend is to drink it before bed, but you may wonder whether this practice really offers added health effects.

This article reviews the potential benefits and downsides of apple cider vinegar and whether drinking it before bed is more beneficial.

Potential benefits

People drink apple cider vinegar for various reasons:

May have antimicrobial properties

Apple cider vinegar may have antibacterial and antifungal properties. This is mostly attributed to its main ingredient, acetic acid.

For example, a test-tube study found that apple cider vinegar was effective in treating Candida albicans fungus and Escherichia coli, which can cause severe intestinal infections,as well as Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause skin infections.

May lower your blood sugar

Research suggests that consuming apple cider vinegar can slow the emptying of your stomach and hence prevent large spikes in blood sugar.

In a 2023 study of adults with type 2 diabetes, the group that received 30 milliliters (ml) of apple cider vinegar a day showed greater improvement in hemoglobin A1c levels than the control group that didn’t.

Could support weight loss

Some evidence suggests that apple cider vinegar may help with weight and fat loss when combined with a calorie-restricted diet.

This may be because vinegar slows digestion and suppresses appetite, at least in the short term. Long-term studies have found no effect of vinegar on appetite.

Ultimately, more research is needed to determine whether supplementing with apple cider vinegar could be an effective weight loss aid.

Potential downsides

Before drinking apple cider vinegar before bed, consider these potential downsides.

May cause nausea and indigestion

Apple cider vinegar has a pH level of 4.2. This means it is on the more acidic end of the pH scale, which goes from 0 to 14, with 0 being the most acidic.

Acidic foods can also cause indigestion and acid reflux in some people, especially when consumed before lying down.

Can damage your tooth enamel

Regularly drinking any vinegar and eating acidic foods has been shown to erode tooth enamel.

This means that vinegar gradually destroys your enamel, the outer layer of your teeth that protects them from physical and chemical damage. Enamel is the first line of defense for your teeth and cannot regrow.

For this reason, it’s recommended to rinse your mouth with water after drinking acidic beverages or eating acidic foods.

Is it good to drink apple cider vinegar before going to bed?

Apple cider vinegar offers many possible health benefits. However, besides potentially lowering fasting blood sugar for some people, drinking it right before bed doesn’t appear to have more benefits than consuming it at any other time of day.

Some older evidence suggests that drinking small amounts of apple cider vinegar before bed may help lower morning blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, though more research is needed before it can be recommended as an effective natural treatment.

Here are a few ways to consume apple cider vinegar that may minimize side effects and offer the most benefits:

• Dilute it: Mix 1–2 tablespoons (tbsp) or (15–30 ml) of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup (237 ml) of water. Ingesting undiluted vinegar of any kind can damage your throat and esophagus.
• Consume it earlier in the day: Drinking apple cider vinegar about 2-3 hours before bed may lower your risk of indigestion or acid reflux after lying down.
• Enjoy it in other ways: Apple cider vinegar can be used on a salad or in a marinade for meat or vegetables, which may be a more pleasant way to consume it than drinking it.

Frequently asked questions

How much apple cider vinegar should I drink before bed to lose weight?

The benefits of apple cider for vinegar are not fully determined. That said, in one 2018 study, overweight adults or those with obesity followed a calorie-restricted diet and drank 2 tbsp or (30 ml) of vinegar daily. They were compared to a control group of people who didn’t consume any vinegar. After 12 weeks, the vinegar group lost more weight than the diet-only group.”

How does apple cider vinegar detox your body?

There’s no evidence that proves definitively that apple cider vinegar can detox your body. Some studies suggest certain benefits to consuming apple cider vinegar, such as lower blood sugar and some weight loss, but more research is needed to verify these findings.

Learn more: Apple cider vinegar detox: Does it work?

What are the other benefits of apple cider vinegar?

There’s also some research to suggest that apple cider vinegar may help lower cholesterol, which may help improve your heart health.

Learn more: 6 health benefits of apple cider vinegar, backed by science and 7 side effects of too much apple cider vinegar.

The bottom line

Though apple cider vinegar may offer various benefits, such as weight loss, blood sugar control, and antibacterial effects, studies on drinking it right before bed are lacking.

What’s more, consuming it can cause nausea, indigestion, erosion of your tooth enamel, and interactions with certain medications.

Aside from potentially lowering fasting blood sugar, drinking apple cider vinegar right before bed doesn’t appear to make much of a difference in terms of its health benefits.

To prevent adverse effects, it’s best to enjoy it diluted or in a dressing and at least 2-3 hours before lying down.