Tart cherry

Tart cherry juice added sleep time in a few tiny trials, but the evidence is weak, several trials were industry-funded, and the juice is high in sugar.

• Evidence: Weak
• Low effort
• Low cost
• Works: 1–2 weeks in trials

Why it matters

Tart (sour) cherries, especially the Montmorency variety, contain small amounts of melatonin and plant compounds called polyphenols. Researchers have suggested they might help sleep by adding melatonin [2] or by leaving more tryptophan available to the body [4]. Both ideas are early and based on small studies.

How to do it

1. Juice amounts used in trials: two 240 mL (8 fl oz) servings a day, one in the morning and one 1–2 hours before bed [3] [4]. In one trial, each serving was a juice blend of tart cherries and apple juice, equal to about 50 whole cherries [3].
2. Concentrate: one trial used a tart cherry juice concentrate for 7 days [2]. Across the trials, the daily amount was commonly equal to about 100 g (3.5 oz) of fresh cherries twice a day [1].
3. Count the sugar. Tart cherry juice has about 12 g of sugar and 59 kcal per 100 g [5]. Two 240 mL glasses a day, as in the trials, adds up to roughly 60 g of sugar by our estimate from that figure. If you have diabetes or are watching sugar, ask your doctor first.
4. Try it for 1–2 weeks. Trials lasted 7 days to 2 weeks [2] [3] [4].
5. Take the evening dose 1–2 hours before bed, as in the trials [3], rather than right at bedtime.

Check with a doctor or pharmacist first if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or take any regular medication. Capsules and concentrates sold as supplements are not approved by the FDA before sale in the US; the maker is responsible for their safety and labeling [6].

Side effects and interactions

The two insomnia trials reported no adverse events [3] [4], but they had 15 and 8 participants, which is far too few to judge safety. We found no official fact sheet (from the NIH, NHS or EFSA) listing interactions between tart cherry and medicines such as blood pressure medication, blood thinners, sedatives or antidepressants. That’s a lack of evidence, not proof of safety, so ask your pharmacist.

Common mistakes

• Drinking regular (sweet) cherry juice or a “cherry drink”. The trials used tart Montmorency cherry juice [2] [4].
• Ignoring the sugar [5]. Two glasses a day is a meaningful amount of extra sugar and calories.
• Expecting to feel it. In pooled data, people’s own ratings of sleep time and efficiency didn’t improve [1].
• Using it instead of seeing a doctor. In one trial, 3 of 11 people recruited for insomnia turned out to have sleep apnea [4]. If you snore loudly or wake unrefreshed, see when to see a doctor.

Effect on your sleep score

• Total sleep: in pooled tracker and sleep-lab data from three studies, cherry increased measured sleep time, but the results varied a lot between studies [1]. In a trial of 8 older adults with insomnia, sleep in the lab rose by 84 minutes [4], a large number from a very small group.
• Efficiency: higher on trackers in pooled data from three studies [1].
• Time to fall asleep: no clear change [1] [3].
• Deep sleep, REM, HRV, resting heart rate: we found no study measuring these in healthy adults with wearables.

How confident: low.

Evidence

Rated Weak. A 2023 systematic review found eight studies, of low to moderate quality. Pooled tracker data favored cherry for total sleep and efficiency, but self-reported sleep didn’t change [1].

The main trials were small:

• Howatson 2012: 20 healthy adults, 7 days of concentrate. Melatonin levels, time in bed, total sleep and efficiency rose on actigraphy [2]. A juice company donated the concentrate [2].
• Pigeon 2010: 15 older adults with insomnia, 2 weeks. Less time awake during the night than placebo, but no difference in time to fall asleep, total sleep or efficiency. The juice maker funded the whole study [3].
• Losso 2018: 11 older adults randomized, 8 analyzed, 2 weeks. More sleep in the lab. Supported by a cherry industry group [4].

General information for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you have a sleep problem that lasts, read when to see a doctor. Sources checked 4 October 2026. Spot a mistake? Tell us.