Tart cherries make an ordinary sauce or dessert into a savory treat with potential health benefits. Research by scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and published in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" in October 2001 discovered Balaton and Montmorency tart cherries contain higher levels of melatonin compared to blood levels of melatonin in mammals. Melatonin is a substance that can induce sleep.
Insomnia
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep, remain asleep or sleep the amount of time you need to wake up feeling refreshed. Insomnia can occur occasionally or it can be chronic and last for weeks, months or years. Insomnia can occur when you go to sleep at a different time than what is synchronized with your biological clock. Insomnia can also affect women and older people much more than men and younger people. Research by scientists at the Sommeil Center in Paris, France and published in the "American Journal of Medicine" in January 2004 discovered that low levels of melatonin production at night is associated with insomnia in patients ages 55 years or older who are also able to respond to taking melatonin.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone your brain produces in the pineal gland from serotonin, a neurotransmitter. Melatonin's primary function in the body is to regulate circadian rhythm, a 24-hour cycle of how your body responds to light and darkness. Melatonin can affect the sleep wake cycles in people with deficiencies of the hormone and those who disrupt circadian rhythms with jet lag and shift work. Taking melatonin supplements can also reduce body temperature.
Benfits of Melatonin
Eating cherries may be a healthy sleep aid, but it is the melatonin in the cherries that is the substance that induces you to sleep. Research by scientists at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel and published in "Sleep Medicine Reviews" in February 2005 evaluated 15 clinical studies on melatonin and sleep and found that melatonin significantly reduces sleep onset latency by 3.9 minutes, increases sleep efficiency defined by the ratio of total sleep time to the amount of time spent in bed by 3.1 percent and increases total sleep duration by 13.7 minutes. Melatonin is safe and sold as nutritional supplements in the United States.
Ways to Eat Cherries
Tart cherries are available year-round, in fresh, dried, frozen and juice concentrate varieties. You can enjoy tart cherries in many types of dishes and meals throughout the day. For breakfast add tart cherries to your cereal, granola, yogurt, pancakes, waffles, muffins, fruit salad or jam. For lunch, you can include them in your salad. For dinner, you can use tart cherries in a sauce, or add them to rice, quinoa or cous cous. As a snack or dessert you can add tart cherries to cookies, smoothies, ice cream cakes and pies. You can even juice the cherries and drink it alone or add it to milk, seltzer or tea.
References
- "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry"; Detection and Quantification of the Antioxidant Melatonin in Montmorency and Balaton Tart Cherries (Prunus Cerasus); S. Burkhardt, et al.; Oct 2001
- National Sleep Foundation; Sleep Aids and Insomnia; 2010
- "American Journal of Medicine"; Nocturnal 6-Sulfatoxymelatonin Excretion in Insomnia and Its Relation to the Response to Melatonin Replacement Therapy; Damien Leger, et al.; Jan 15 2004
- Colorado State University; The Pineal Gland and Melatonin; March 17 2003
- "Sleep Medicine Reviews"; Effects of Exogenous Melatonin on Sleep: A Meta-Analysis; Amnon Brzezinski, et al.; Feb 2005
- Natural News; Cherries Found to Be a Natural Sleep Aid; Jo Hartley; January 1 2009
