A Juice to Help You Sleep

People who suffer insomnia clamor for any health breakthroughs in the field of sleeping soundly. Well, here is some good news. Researchers have found that a type of fruit juice could help improve sleep. Look no further than tart cherry. The study was recently published in the "European Journalof Nutrition." An international team of researchers found that when adults drank two glasses of tart cherry juice aday, it led to these benefits: -- Sleeping 39 minutes longer, on average-- Up to a six-percent increase in overall sleep efficiency (less non-sleep time in bed),This was found when tart cherry juice was compared to a rnnon-cherry fruit cocktail. In the study, 20 healthy adults drank two servings of tartcherry juice concentrate (which was 30 milliliters of 100%-pure Montmorency juice concentrate, diluted in a half pintof water) or a non-cherry juice for seven straight days. They drank one serving when they woke up in the morning, rnand another just before bed. The researchers tracked participants' sleep habits. Afterthe participants drank the cherry juice, the researchers found significant improvements in sleep behaviors. Themost notable improvement was in the areas of longer sleep time, less daytime napping, and increased overall sleepefficiency. That last term represents the ratio of time spent in bed to time spent sleeping. So we arrive as we always do to the question of "why?"Quite often in medical studies there is no certain answer, but of course there are many hypotheses. Here, theresearchers attribute the sleep benefits of tart cherry juice to the melatonin content. This natural hormone in the body is rncritical for regulating the sleep-wake cycle (along with itsopposite, serotonin). Each serving of the tart cherry juice concentrate was estimated to contain the equivalent of 90 to 100 tart cherries. This provides a significant boost of melatonin in rnthe juice. This isn't the first time tart cherries have come up in thesleep aid discussion. Older studies have supported the link as well, which may have far-reaching benefits considering rnabout one-third of all U.S. adults suffer from sleepdisturbances affecting their health. The market for over-the-counter sleep aids stands at more than $84.0 million in theUnited States alone. Many are trying to find cost-effective ways to help manage their sleep issues. Here is onepotentially great -- and tasty -- method.