Eating habits and daily health and nutrition choices impact countless areas of health, and sleep is no exception.  While consuming food before bed or drinking wine or caffeinated beverages can disrupt sleep, a new study has found that consuming tart Montmorency cherry juice can noticeably improve the duration and quality of sleep.  Researchers at Northumbria University have discovered that cherry juice benefits sleep by increasing the body’s melatonin levels.  Melatoninregulates sleep, and sufficient levels help people fall asleep and stay asleep.

The study was conducted among 20 healthy individuals, some of whom were placed in a control group and some of whom were given 30ml of tart cherry juice to drink twice each day for the duration of one week.  Participants were evaluated prior to the study to discover their normal levels of melatonin, and during the study their sleep was monitored and records of their sleepingpatterns were kept.

The Benefits of Cherry Juice

• Increases circulation of melatonin
• Lengthens amount of time spent sleeping
• Improves sleep quality

Those who consumed the cherry juice were found to have a 15-16% increase in melatonin levels compared to their previous levels and to the control group.  They also found that the cherry juice group spent an additional 15 minutes in bed and 25 more minutes actually sleeping.  Beyond this, their sleep quality, or sleep efficiency, was increased by about 5-6% and participants who drankcherry juice took fewer naps during the day throughout the duration of the study.

Cherry juice, by increasing melatonin levels, can provide healthy adults with a natural solution for sleep difficulties ranging from insomnia to jet lag.  For those who struggle with getting sufficientsleep, adding cherry juice is a simple way to improve the duration and quality of sleep, and this can positively impact other areas of health as well.