How Does Tart Cherry Juice Help You Sleep?

Drinking tart cherry juice may help you sleep. Cherries contain melatonin, a hormone that helps induce sleepiness and prevent insomnia.¹

Tart cherries—also known as Montmorency or sour cherries—have higher melatonin levels and tryptophan.²³ Tryptophan is an amino acid (protein) from which your body synthesizes melatonin.⁴

One study noted improved sleep efficiency after participants drank about 8 ounces of tart cherry juice twice a day for two weeks.²

How Much Should You Drink for Sleep?

You do not have to drink a lot of tart cherry juice if you are using it to help with sleep. Consuming 8-12 ounces of tart cherry juice or 1-2 ounces of juice concentrate can promote sleep.⁵

You may start with a smaller amount, then add more or less based on how your body reacts to the juice.

What’s the Best Time To Drink It?

The optimal time to drink tart cherry juice is 1-2 hours before bed.² However, research shows that drinking a little tart cherry juice in the morning and evening can help you reap its full benefits.

Make sure to give your body plenty of time to break down melatonin and tryptophan. You may adjust the timing based on how your body reacts to the juice.

What Are the Benefits of Drinking Tart Cherry Juice?

Tart cherry juice has been shown to impact sleep. Preliminary studies suggest it may provide other possible benefits, like:

Exercise recovery and a decrease in or prevention of soreness⁶
Improved immune system response to endurance activities⁷
Decreased inflammatory markers⁵
Lowered risk of cognitive decline by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol⁸

Risks To Watch Out For

As with just about all food and drinks, you could have or develop an allergy to tart cherry juice. Even if you have not been allergic to it before, allergic reactions can happen.⁹

The carbohydrate content in tart cherry juice may also be a concern, especially if you have diabetes or follow a low-carb diet.¹⁰

Medication Interactions

Talk with a doctor before using tart cherry juice if you are taking medications. There are no known interactions between tart cherry juice and medications.

However, it could interact with any medication that melatonin supplements could interact with. These include:¹¹