Cherry Juice Helps to Alleviate Insomnia

It is estimated that more than 40 million Americans experience persistent problems with achieving restful sleep.  Wilfred R. Pigeon, from the University of Rochester Medical Center (New York, USA), and colleagues studied the sleep habits of 15 older adults with chronic insomnia, but otherwise healthy.  Each participant drank a tart cherry juice beverage in the morning and evening for 2 weeks, and then a comparable matched juice drink (containing no tart cherry juice) for another 2 week period. The team observed significant reductions in reported insomnia severity, and the subjects saved about 17 minutes of wake time after going to sleep, on average, when drinking cherry juice daily, compared to when they were drinking the juice drink.  The researchers suspect tart cherries' natural benefits could be due in part to their relatively high content of melatonin – a natural antioxidant in cherries with established ability to help moderate the body's sleep-wake cycle. Produced naturally by the body in small amounts, melatonin plays a role in inducing sleepiness at night and wakefulness during the day. Not only is melatonin linked to sleep, but research suggests melatonin can be a powerful antioxidant, helping reduce age-related inflammation and fighting free radicals in the body.