The Benefits of Tart Cherry Juice, From Muscle Recovery to Deeper Sleep

Whether you're an insomniac or simply suffer the occasional fitful night, you might want to familiarize yourself with the benefits of tart cherry juice. While this pucker-inducing beverage may be an acquired taste—think unsweetened lemonade or unadulterated cranberry juice—its positive powers far outweigh its sour notes. We caught up with nutrition experts and discovered what makes this particular potion a go-to for a good night's sleep—and other ailments.

What Is Tart Cherry Juice?

Most tart cherry juice sold at your local grocery store is extracted from Montmorency cherries, a popular variety of sour cherries often preferred for cherry pies. The juice is sometimes sold as a concentrate, which has some or all of its water content evaporated, and needs to be reconstituted with water before drinking. And there may be extra ingredients lurking in the liquid. "Always check the label to ensure you're getting 100 percent tart cherry juice without added sugars or fillers," advises Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LD, CLEC, registered dietitian at Nutrition Now Counseling.

The Benefits of Tart Cherry Juice

Lack of sleep affects everything from your mood and work performance to your energy level and immune system. Chronic sleep deprivation can wreak greater havoc with your health, increasing the risk of conditions like diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. While a calming bedtime routine and a cool, dark room can help you nod off, some foods, like a cup of chamomile tea or warm milk, also contain nutrients that help you ease your way to dreamland, allowing you to experience a deeper, more restorative slumber. Another contender is tart cherry juice. 

Melatonin: Tart Montmorency cherries contain natural melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle, notes Melissa Mroz-Planells, DCN, RDN, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Antioxidants: "But it's not just melatonin at work! Tart cherries also contain proanthocyanidins, which may help increase the availability of tryptophan in the body," Manaker adds. Proanthocyanidins are a kind of polyphenol found in several fruit, vegetable, and seed varieties that help protect the body from oxidative stress and neutralize free radicals. Tryptophan, she notes, is essential for producing serotonin and melatonin, which are key hormones that modulate sleep.

Impact on Sleep

As anyone who's spent an evening counting sheep likely knows, sleeplessness takes many forms: There may be endless nights when you can't fall asleep and nights when you can't stay asleep or adjust your sleep cycle. While research is still emerging, Manaker says that tart cherry juice appears to remedy all three situations. "In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover-designed study, results showed that tart cherry consumption resulted in a statistically significant increase of time in bed (25 minutes), total sleep time (34 minutes), and sleep efficiency (5–6 percent). Circulating blood melatonin levels were also increased," she says.

Another study of people with chronic insomnia, she says, found that tart cherry consumption was linked to staying asleep longer (62 minutes, on average, more) and less interrupted sleep.

How Much to Drink

A moderate amount can help foster those forty winks. The recommended dosage is typically around 8 ounces of tart cherry juice in the morning and again 1–2 hours before bedtime, Mroz-Planells says. "That said, results can vary, so it's best to start small and see how your body responds," she adds.

Sour Over Sweet

Taste-wise, sweet cherries may have more universal appeal than sour, but on the health benefit front, the tart fruit leads the way. "Sweet cherries have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds but in lower levels than tart cherries," Mroz-Planells says. As to sleep benefits, adds Manaker, the melatonin and anthocyanin content in sweet cherries isn't as potent as its tart counterparts.

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Other Benefits of Tart Cherry Juice

Beyond slumber, the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in tart cherry juice can also benefit the body in other profound ways.

Aches and Pains

"Tart cherries are rich in anthocyanins and other antioxidants that have been shown to help reduce exercise-related muscle soreness and recovery and support joint health," Mroz-Planells says. "Some studies suggest benefits for easing arthritis symptoms by lowering inflammation markers in the body."

Gout

The anti-inflammatory properties of these antioxidants may offer relief from gout by lowering uric acid levels, which can fuel flare-ups, Manaker points out.

Blood Pressure

There is also data to support links between tart cherry juice intake and reduced blood pressure. "These benefits make tart cherry juice a bit of a multitasker when it comes to supporting overall health," Manaker says.

Whole Cherries vs. Juice

If you'd rather snack than sip, load your bowl with whole fruit. "Whole tart cherries can provide similar benefits, as they contain the same sleep-supporting compounds; however, you'd need to eat a lot of cherries to match the concentrated dose found in tart cherry juice," Manaker says. "Most of us aren't eating enough fruit, so adding tart cherries to a diet is a great way to bridge that gap!"