Montmorency 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, reports Science Blog.
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 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.
