December 9, 2011. An article published on November 8, 2011 in the European Journal of Nutrition reveals the results of a randomized, crossover trial which found that cherry juice drinkers slept longer and better than those who didn't consume the juice.
Glyn Howatson and colleagues from Northumbria University compared the effects of Montmorency tart cherry juice or a placebo drink in 20 men and women aged 18 to 40 years. Participants were instructed to consume one serving upon awakening and another before bed for seven days. The subjects subsequently switched regimens following a two-week period in which no drinks were administered. Daily diaries recorded information on the participants' sleep quality, which was corroborated with a wearable sleep monitor. Urine samples obtained before and during the trial were analyzed for 6-sulphatoxymelatonin, the major metabolite of melatonin: a sleep-promoting hormone that occurs in cherries.
Participants who received tart cherry juice had significant elevations in urinary melatonin content, while the placebo group's levels remained the same as those measured at the beginning of the trial.
Drinking cherry juice was associated with an average of 39 minutes longer sleep, more time in bed spent asleep, better sleep quality and less daytime napping compared to the placebo group. While increased melatonin is the primary mechanism to which the improved sleep of those who consumed cherry juice was attributed, the authors note that sleep regulation is also influenced by pro-inflammatory cytokines and that tart cherries have numerous phenolic compounds that have anti-inflammatory properties.
"This is the first study to show direct evidence that dietary supplementation with a tart Montmorency cherry juice concentrate increases circulating melatonin and can provide modest improvements in sleep time and quality in healthy adults with no reported disturbed sleep," they announce. "Tart cherry juice concentrate might therefore present a suitable adjunct intervention for disturbed sleep across a number of scenarios in healthy and symptomatic individuals."
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