Healthy sleep
Cherries improve the quality of our sleep
Sleep disorders? Sour cherries are particularly recommended for fruit because they contain melatonin
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A hot bath, a bedtime story or warm milk with honey: we try a lot to fall asleep as quickly as possible afterwards. But you can also eat yourself tired, as sleep experts know – with cherries, for example.
At first you can’t fall asleep for ages, then you don’t sleep through the night, tossing and turning and in the morning you feel tired and broken: Sleep disorders are not only annoying, they can also be permanently mentally and physically stressful. There are many reasons for insomnia. Incorrect sleeping habits and external disruptive factors are possible triggers.
Sometimes there are physical, neurological or mental illnesses behind it. In Germany everyone sleeps poorly or sleeps through. More and more sleep experts are convinced that proper nutrition also helps. Her recommendation: People with sleep problems should eat themselves tired – with cherries
That’s why cherries make you tired
Cherries, especially sour cherries (e.g. the Montmorency cherry), contain both the sleep hormone melatonin and tryptophan, an amino acid that can also help with sleep disorders. Studies published in the specialist magazines “Journal of Medicinal Food” and “European Journal of Nutrition“have shown that the fruit can contribute to longer and better sleep.
“Because tart cherries contain different enzymes, they actually keep the tryptophan in the body longer,” explains nutritionist Beth Czerwony in a recent article by the Cleveland Clinic (USA). “So not only does it get you to sleep faster, it also lets you sleep longer.”
Sleep longer with Montmorency cherries
US researchers were also able to prove that the juice of the Montmorency cherry increases the level of the sleep hormone melatonin by up to 15 percent. As a result, the test subjects slept an average of 25 minutes longer than usual during the experiment. The “sleep efficiency” – a general measurement for the quality of sleep – could be improved by 5 to 6 percent.
Montmorency cherries are grown in the USA, and in Germany they are mainly available in dried form. Sour cherries are also available in German supermarkets (e.g. morello cherries). Cherry juice can also be purchased in this country.
Do you prefer cherry juice or the fruits?
According to Czerwony, those who want to consume tart cherries for a better sleep should do so about an hour before bed. It doesn’t matter whether you drink tart cherry juice or eat the fruit. “If you use juice, make sure it is unsweetened juice with no added sugar,” says the nutritionist.
Czerwony recommends an evening serving – a glass of juice or half a cup of fruit. She admits that the amount of cherries needed to get to sleep has not been studied and can vary for each person.
Source used: heilpraxisnet.de