How CherriesHelp with Sleep
If you’re experiencing insomnia lately, it turns out you’re not alone. Insomnia affects millions of people. Tart cherries can aid sleep by increasing the amount of melatonin, a sleep hormone. Melatonin, which is produced naturally in your body by your brain’s pineal gland and can be taken as a supplement, partially controls your body’s sleep-wake cycle. Tart cherries have a small amount of both melatonin and tryptophan, an amino acid used in production of serotonin and melatonin. “Because tart cherries have different enzymes in them, they actually keep the tryptophan in the body longer,” says Czerwony. “So it not only does it get you to sleep sooner, but it keeps you asleep for longer.”