Tart Cherry for Sleep

High melatonin levels in tart cherry may benefit overall sleep quality. 

• Improving overall sleep quality. Tart cherry in various forms may increase sleep time, reduce sleep onset latency, and enhance the sleep cycle as a whole.
• Reducing insomnia. Taking a bit of the cherry at night reportedly reduces insomnia and improves nocturnal rest.

Overview

The tart cherry, Prunus cerasus, is a more acidic version of the sweet cherry and provides way more nutritional benefits. Although once widely cultivated throughout Europe, tart cherries are now most popular in Russia and Iran due to relatively high resistance to pests and disease as well as their ability to self-pollinate.

Also frequently called sour cherries, the tart cherry is most treasured in the culinary world and often incorporated into drinks, soups, liqueurs, pork dishes, tarts, pies, and cakes. Belgians have gone so far as to use it to make their cherry-flavored kriek lambic beer.

More than just a delectable fruit, the tart cherry appears to offer several health-related benefits as well. Claims have been made that it may improve athletic performance, boost testosterone, relieve arthritis, enhance anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation¹, and alleviate a number of sleep problems.²

How Tart Cherry May Help With Sleep

Supplying melotonin

Recent advancements in sleep research have identified abundant amounts of melatonin in certain fruits, tart cherries among them. The Montmorency and Balaton varieties of the tart cherry seem to especially shine in that regard, holding 13.46 ± 1.10 nanogram of melatonin per gram of tart cherry and 2.06 ± 0.17 ng/g, respectively.³

Melatonin is one of, if not the, key piece in the circadian sleep-wake cycle.⁴ Humans typically produce melatonin in the brain when it gets dark. The substantial quantities of melatonin present in tart cherry could very well make it a viable substitute to boost standard melatonin levels (especially in melatonin-deficient cases) without having to wait for the sun to set. By imbuing the powers of melatonin, tart cherries may just be able to help us get the rest we need.

Supplying tryptophan

Not only are tart cherries bursting with melatonin, but they also bear considerable quantities of tryptophan, the precursor to the brain chemical serotonin. A study examining 7 different types of cherries and their effect on sleep found that each type of cherry improved actual sleep time and quality with correlating increases in melatonin, tryptophan, and serotonin levels.⁵

While melatonin manages the sleep-wake cycle, serotonin seems to play more of a part in the induction of sleep by enhancing mood, reducing sleep latency⁶, and subsequently reducing insomnia.⁷

Tart Cherry Benefits & Uses for Sleep

Considering how much melatonin tart cherries bestow upon its consumers, likely uses include improvements in sleep time and efficiency with decreases in sleep onset latency. These positive benefits probably also extend to relevant complications tied to sleep, including insomnia, anxiety, stress, night pain, sleep deficiency, and sleep apnea.

For healthy individuals, tart cherry may be a great way to support or simply maintain top-notch sleep-wake cycles. For the elderly and others with melatonin deficiency, tart cherry might be the missing piece in the puzzle to restoring and possibly even improving sleep patterns.

Research

Human Research

Prevailing research concerning tart cherries favor the fruit as a likely sleep enhancer that even has potential to supersede other well-known sleep aids, like valerian, especially because of its relationship to melatonin. There is certainly more room for growth in that regard, since as of yet, only a limited number of related studies have been conducted.

Tart cherry juice concentrate may increase sleep duration and quality in healthy adults

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation, 20 adults took cherry juice concentrate for a week. Actigraphy and subjective sleep questionnaires determined significant elevations in total sleep time and sleep efficiency. Total melatonin content was also increased, which resulted in a higher amplitude in the melatonin circadian rhythm.

• The study concluded that “consumption of a tart cherry juice concentrate provides an increase in exogenous melatonin that is beneficial in improving sleep duration and quality in healthy men and women and might be of benefit in managing disturbed sleep.”⁹

Tart cherry juice blend may have modest beneficial effects on sleep in older adults with insomnia

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation, 15 adults with insomnia were given a tart cherry juice blend (CherryPharm®) before bed for a period of 2 weeks. Tart cherry juice was associated with significant improvements on all sleep variables, with especially notable reductions in insomnia severity.

• The study concluded that “a tart cherry juice blend has modest beneficial effects on sleep in older adults with insomnia with effect sizes equal to or exceeding those observed in studies of valerian and in some, but not all, studies of melatonin.”¹⁰

Dosage for Sleep

Tart cherry may be taken as:

• A supplemental capsule, 500 – 1000 mg
• A juice, 1 – 8 ounces
• Gummies, 1200 mg

Best results for sleep seem to follow when eating or drinking the cherry supplement 30 minutes before going to bed.