Tart Cherry Juice: A Natural Way to Support Better Sleep

Roughly one in four Americans struggle with sleep, leading millions to turn to sleep aids like melatonin when they want a better night’s rest.

Melatonin can be very helpful for some people, especially when timing is the issue. But it’s not always the best first step for better sleep. It doesn’t work like a traditional sleeping pill. It’s a hormone signal that helps tell your body when it’s time to sleep. Taking too much, taking it too often, or taking it at the wrong time may lead to grogginess and disrupted sleep for some people.

But here’s what most people don’t realize: melatonin isn’t only found in pill form. Some foods contain it naturally, and tart cherries are one of the more interesting examples.

Tart cherries are one of the few natural food sources of melatonin, the same hormone your body uses to help regulate its sleep-wake cycle. They also contain tryptophan and polyphenols. Tryptophan is an amino acid involved in the production of serotonin and melatonin, both of which play a role in sleep regulation. Polyphenols are plant compounds that help give tart cherries their deep red color and may support inflammation balance and recovery.

Together, these compounds can help support some of the natural signals involved in sleep, recovery, and overall nighttime regulation. Research suggests that drinking tart cherry juice may raise the body’s melatonin levels and modestly improve both sleep duration and sleep quality.

Quick Note: That doesn’t mean tart cherry juice works like a sleeping pill. It’s not meant to knock you out. Think of it more as a gentle nudge that may help your body prepare for sleep.

More Than Just Sleep

Tart cherries are also rich in anthocyanins, a type of polyphenol studied for its role in inflammation and recovery. This is one reason tart cherry juice has also been studied for exercise recovery, muscle soreness, and inflammation after hard training.

Give It a Try

• Drink about 8 ounces of tart cherry juice, or 1 ounce if using concentrate, in the evening
• Look for unsweetened Montmorency tart cherry juice, the variety used in much of the research
• Give it a week or two of consistent use rather than expecting results the first night
• Skip it if you’re watching sugar intake closely, as juice can be high in natural sugar

Most people already know how important sleep is. Often, the harder part is building habits simple enough to actually keep. Tart cherry juice can be a great way to add something simple, natural, and easy to repeat to your nighttime routine!

Want to Learn More? Check Out:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22038497/

‍