Lifestyle
A woman sleeping after drinking dirty lemon sleep water

I Drank This Sleep Water For A Week, And It Worked Better Than NyQuil

Dirty Lemon

If you're anything like me, your nighttime routine looks something like this:

1. Pass out on the couch watching "The Bachelor" after drinking a bottle of wine.

2. Wake up confused as to what year it is.

3. Stumble into the bathroom and haphazardly remove the day's smudged winged eyeliner, or skip this step entirely and faceplant onto your white pillowcase.

4. Watch something else on Netflix on Hulu, while stalking ex-whoever on Instagram.

5. Finally knock out with laptop still playing whatever show you're binge-watching.

6. Feel exhausted in the morning and hit snooze until you're late for work again.

So, when I heard about Dirty Lemon beverages, I was beyond excited to try its Sleep drink, which is said to give you the most restful night's sleep of your life.

Dirty Lemon makes three different types of functional beverages: Detox, Skin + Hair and Sleep.

But since my skin is already flawless (JK) and my sleep is, well, flawed, I thought I'd give Dirty Lemon Sleep a shot.

Dirty Lemon

The task was simple: Every night for six nights straight, I would drink a bottle of Dirty Lemon Sleep before bed and await the results.

Its main ingredients are magnesium and rose water, which help with drowsiness and "mental calm" before bedtime.

There are only 10 calories a bottle, no added sweeteners or chemicals.

It also contains filtered water, cold pressed lemon juice, rose water (calms nerves), magnesium glycinate (which promotes muscle relaxation), lemon balm (helps relieve digestion and bloating), chamomile (calms restlessness) and passionflower (prevents restlessness), which is basically everything that makes you fall asleep in a 16-ounce bottle.

So, here's what happened after introducing sleep into my bedtime routine:

1. It cured my cold.

The first night I drank Dirty Lemon, my throat was getting sore, which I DID NOT have the time for.

Normally, I would spend a night like this tossing and turning, not getting any sleep.

But, Dirty Lemon did the trick. The drink was very refreshing, and it tasted like lemon, but with a kiss of rose water, which was delicious.

The drowsiness embraced me like a warm hug. It wasn't like how NyQuil hits you like a truck and makes you feel like you're tripping.

After I finished the bottle, I was out like a light.

When I did wake up, I felt refreshed, and my sore throat was gone.

Gabi Conti

My immune system boost could've been credited to just getting a good night's sleep, but it also could have been due to the chamomile and lemon balm.

Chamomile and lemon balm have been said to increase antibacterial activity, as they boost the immune system and help fight infections associated with colds.

I also felt super energetic, and I had enough energy to power through a dance cardio class, which I normally have trouble finishing.

I didn't find myself getting tired as I normally do throughout the day, and I had a very productive, high energy, non-drowsy workday.

2. It prevented my hangover.

My second night on Sleep was little intense. It was my friend's birthday party after a long work week, and I needed to drink ALL the vodka sodas.

I woke up facedown in my bed at 3 am, and my unopened bottle of Dirty Lemon was chilling on my nightstand. I removed my makeup, chugged the Sleep and woke up at 11 am for pilates.

The weird thing was, I didn't have the pounding, hangover from hell-style headache that I usually get the morning after drinking.

It was probably because of the rose water, which is super hydrating. The filtered lemon water also could've prevented my hangover, as lemon water is detoxifying and has been said to stimulate the liver and flush out toxins.

But you know what didn't go away? Those regrettable decisions from the night. 

However, those feelings of regret didn't seem to haunt me as much as they usually do. This could be due to the fact that people use rose water as a holistic way to relieve anxiety.

The aromatherapy from roses has also been believed to promote positive thoughts, spiritual relaxation and feelings of joy.

Maybe that's why those "Bachelor" contestants get so happy when they get a rose?

3. I didn't feel groggy.

I woke up feeling totally refreshed after my third night. I did my usual morning workout, but then I came home and went back to sleep.

For some reason, when I woke up from my nap, I didn't feel groggy. That's because unlike sleeping medication, Dirty Lemon is all-natural.

That dazed feeling you experience the morning after taking a sleeping pill is due to the antihistamines in the medication, but Dirty Lemon only contains natural ingredients like magnesium glycinate.

A deficiency in magnesium can trigger sleep problems, and luckily, a magnesium glycinate supplement can help rectify issues with insomnia.

Unfortunately, the magnesium glycinate worked a little too well because I accidentally slept through my friend's son's baptism.

(It's probably for the best I didn't step inside a church. I'd probably burst into flames or something.)

4. I got an insane amount of sleep.

So, it's definitely not cute or good to sleep over nine hours, but I'm a growing girl who needs her rest.

My fourth night on it, I slept about 13 hours, which, again, I guess is just the magnesium glycinate doing its job.

Or, it could have been because I went a little too hard over the long weekend. Don't judge me.

5. I stopped waking up in the middle of the night.

During the last two nights of drinking Dirty Lemon Sleep, I didn't wake up in the middle of the night, and I awoke right before my alarm, feeling recharged and ready for the day.

Passionflower, another one of Sleep's main ingredients, is used by herbalists to help people who experience restlessness and interrupted sleep.

That's because passionflower is said to relieve muscle spasms and anxiety, which could be what's keeping you up at night.

Overall, I felt really calm while drinking Sleep. I went to bed without having racing thoughts, and I woke up knowing I didn't have to rush because I was late.

Life after Dirty Lemon

Though I don't know how realistic or cost-efficient it is to drink Sleep every night (it costs $65 for a case of six bottles), I really did enjoy using it as a natural way to de-stress and get some Z's.

Overall, drinking it did improve my sleep, and I've been sleeping great ever since.

This could be your new all-natural solution to finally getting the rest you need.