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Drinking Cherry Juice Can Increase Sleep Time in Elderly

Drinking Cherry Juice Can Increase Sleep Time in Elderly

by Hannah Joy on Oct 31 2017 4:59 PM
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Highlights

  • Sleep time increases by 84 minutes in older adults who drink Montmorency tart cherry juice
  • Drinking 240 mL of Montmorency tart cherry juice in the morning and 1-2 hours before bedtime increases sleep time
Drinking 240 mL of Montmorency tart cherry juice in the morning and 1-2 hours before bedtime increased sleep time among adults aged 50 and older by 84 minutes in those suffering from insomnia, reveals a new study. //
Montmorency tart cherries are the most common variety of tart cherries. They are available year-round and are grown in the U.S. Montmorency tart cherries are available in dried, canned, juiced, frozen, and concentrated forms.

The new pilot study was published in the American Journal of Therapeutics.

Jack Losso, lead researcher, professor in the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge said that insomnia is prevalent among older adults and if left untreated can lead to a wide range of health issues.

Most people are hesitant to take medications for sleep. Hence, the increasing demand for natural sleep remedies. Jack Losso had previously conducted few studies on tart cherry juice and sleep.

Link between Montmorency Tart Cherries and Insomnia

The research team analyzed eight healthy male and female participants who were 50 years and older with chronic insomnia. The participants whose bedtime was between 9 p.m and midnight took part in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

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Insomnia was defined by the research team as the trouble to fall asleep on an average for three nights per week.

The participants were divided randomly into Montmorency tart cherry juice group or a placebo control group.

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Participants in the Montmorency tart cherry juice group received about 240 mL of Montmorency tart cherry juice in the morning and at night (1-2 hours before bedtime) for 14 days. Montmorency tart cherry juice had a measured level of procyanidin.

Sleep Increased by More than an Hour

The research team compared the results with a placebo and found that the Montmorency tart cherry juice increased sleep time in older adults who were suffering from insomnia by 84 minutes and that it also increased sleep efficiency in them.

The results obtained from this study adds to the previous research findings, which shows the potential effects of Montmorency tart cherry juice on sleep’s quantity and quality.

Further research is needed, and the researchers at Louisiana State University are encouraged by the results of this study, the increase in sleep time among older adult insomniacs.

What is Insomnia?

Insomnia is defined as getting insufficient sleep which can be in the form of difficulty in falling asleep or difficulty in maintaining sleep.

Insomnia is just a symptom and is not a disease by itself. Conditions that can disturb sleep, like pain or anxiety, usually cause insomnia.

Lack of proper sleep can cause daytime sleepiness, which affects the individual's productivity at work and might increase the chance of accidents due to fatigue and lack of concentration.

Maintaining a sleep diary can help diagnose insomnia. Before starting with any therapy, the patient needs to be educated on the sleep hygiene measures.

Reference
  1. Losso JN, Finley JW, Karki N, Liu AG, Prudente A, Tipton R, Yu Y, Greenway F. Pilot study of the tart cherry juice for the treatment of insomnia and investigation of mechanisms. American Journal of Therapeutics (2017).


Source-Medindia


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