Having trouble sleeping? A new study shows that tart cherry juice was dramatically more effective at increasing sleep time than the average real world results of most prescription sleep medication.
Tart cherry juice was found to help extend sleep time by 84 minutes among eight study participants, ages 50 and older who suffer from insomnia, according to a new pilot study published in American Journal of Therapeutics.
The amount of extended sleep time is dramatic when you compare it to average results of expensive prescription sleeping pills.
A 2006 meta study of prescription sleep medications showed that compared to a placebo, they only reduced the average time to go to sleep by just over 10 minutes and increased total sleep time by approximately 10 minutes, covered in the New York Times and elsewhere.
“Insomnia is quite common among older adults and it can lead to a range of health issues if left untreated,” said lead researcher Jack Losso, professor in the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge who has conducted previous studies on tart cherry juice and sleep. “However, many people are hesitant to resort to medications to help them sleep. That’s why natural sleep remedies are increasingly of interest and in demand.”
Details of the tart cherry sleep study
Eight healthy male and female subjects 50 years or older with chronic insomnia and a usual bedtime between 9 p.m. and midnight participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Insomnia was defined as trouble sleeping on average three nights per week, with an Insomnia Severity Index score greater or equal to 10 and meeting the International Classification of Sleep Disorders-2 criteria for insomnia.
In advance of screening, potential subjects fasted for 10 hours, excluding water, before a blood test was administered and questionnaires were completed, including the Insomnia Severity Index.
Participants who passed the screening were randomly assigned to either a Montmorency tart cherry juice group or a placebo control group. Those in the Montmorency tart cherry juice group consumed about 8 ounces (240 mL) of Montmorency tart cherry juice containing a measured level of procyanidin in the morning and at night, 1-2 hours before bedtime, for 14 days. Following the same schedule, participants in the placebo group consumed a drink designed to look and taste like cherry juice.
Procyanidins and anthocyanins are the major compounds, or polyphenols, in Montmorency tart cherries. The placebo drink, made of distilled water, fructose, dextrose and lemon powder, did not contain these polyphenols found in the tart cherry juice.
After two weeks of consuming Montmorency tart cherry juice or the placebo drink, subjects had an overnight sleep study, and blood was drawn. On waking after the sleep study, five validated questionnaires previously conducted with participants were repeated and subjects were questioned about any adverse events. After a two-week washout period, the subjects were crossed over to the tart cherry juice or placebo group, and the two-week testing period was repeated.
Given there are no current polysomnographic studies of Montmorency tart cherry juice on which to base a power analysis, the clinical trial was designed as a pilot study to determine power for a larger, adequately powered study that would give statistically significant differences.
Results of drinking tart cherry juice before bed
When compared to a placebo, Montmorency tart cherry juice was found to significantly extend sleep time of the senior insomniacs by 84 minutes. Sleep efficiency increased on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, but the other questionnaires showed no significant differences. Despite the small size of the pilot study, researchers demonstrated reduced plasma levels of kynurenine with increased tryptophan levels.
The study’s use of a polysomnography, considered the “gold-standard” method for evaluating sleep pathology, provided a more accurate assessment of sleep than methods administered in similar studies, allowing for the selection of subjects with insomnia versus other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea.
Because three of the original eleven identified subjects in this study meeting the screening criteria had sleep apnea rather than insomnia and were taken out of the study, being able to identify and eliminate them was important for achieving accurate results.
This data adds to the growing body of previous research showing similar results pointing to the potential effects of Montmorency tart cherry juice on sleep quantity and quality. While additional research is needed, the researchers at Louisiana State University are encouraged by the significant increase in sleep time among the senior insomniacs who participated in this study.
Montmorency tart cherries are the most common variety of tart cherries grown in the United States and are available year-round in dried, frozen, canned, juice and concentrated forms.
Very small study…..four in each group? Plus the line about prescription drugs shortening sleep, while true, is a somewhat unfair comparison as that is not what the cherry juice claims to do. Unless I missed it, there was nothing in the article about how much more quickly the cherry juice makes one fall asleep; it was about the quality and quantity of sleep. Apples and oranges.
Test subjects drank in the morning, why? It’s a sleep aid.