A glass of cherry juice every day may keep insomnia away in elderly: Study

If your parents or grandparents are insomniac then you may ask them to drink montmorency tart cherry juice, as according to a recent study it may help to extend their sleep time by 84 minutes.

According to researchers, drinking 240 mL montmorency tart cherry juice in the morning and 1-2 hours before bedtime was found to help extend sleep time by 84 minutes among people aged 50 and older, who suffer from insomnia.

Lead researcher Jack Losso from the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences at Louisiana State University Agricultural said that insomnia is quite common among older adults and it can lead to a range of health issues if left untreated.

"However, many people are hesitant to resort to medications to help them sleep. That's why natural sleep remedies are increasingly of interest and in demand," Lasso added.

The team analysed eight healthy male and female participants 50 years or older with chronic insomnia and a usual bedtime between 0900 hrs and midnight participated in this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Insomnia was defined as trouble sleeping on average three nights per week.

The 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 eight ounces (240 mL) 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.

When compared to a placebo, Montmorency tart cherry juice was found to significantly extend sleep time of the senior insomniacs by 84 minutes and increased their sleep efficiency.

This data adds to the growing body of previous research showing similar results pointing to the potential effects of Montmorency tart cherry juice on sleep quantity and quality.

The research appears in American Journal of Therapeutics.