In the wake of many scientific studies, tart cherries are emerging as one of the few superfoods. Scientists are increasingly rallying behind the idea that they can have exceptional benefits including helping with sleep quality and consistency.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the origins of Montmorency tart cherries, cultivating patterns and most importantly the characteristics that make them a superfood that helps sleep.
But first up, the topic you’ve heard a million times (but still might not listen to) – the importance of getting a good night’s sleep.
Why do we need sleep?
While no one truly understands exactly why we sleep, it’s very clear that we do.
Lack of sleep is associated with too many medical problems to count. Plus, we wouldn’t have evolved to sleep eight hours (completely vulnerable to predators, mind you) if the benefits didn’t outweigh the risks. We’re sure you’ve heard about the benefits of sleep by now – it’s all over the news.
But in case you need more reason to focus on tart cherry, here’s some of the negative impacts of sleep loss.
Sleep loss increases weight gain and diabetes risk
According to researchers at Université Laval’s Faculty of Medicine, risk to get diabetes more than doubles for people who sleep less than 7 hours a night. Ironically, they found the same results for more than eight hours of sleep, so that’s a small window.
Further research, however, confirms that sleep-restricted subjects gained more weight than their rested counterparts with free access to food, even when they reported lower appetites.
But we live outside of the lab, so what happens in real life?
When scientists wanted to test this, they measured activity, body temperature, and body position both at night and during the day. Despite nutrition, exercise, stress, and sleep counseling, those who slept less had an average BMI of 28.3, compared to 24.5 with adequate sleep.
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– Natural Sleep Aid with Montmorency Tart Cherry –
Sleep can improve memory, learning, and behavior
It comes as no surprise that losing sleep makes you grouchy.
But did you know that chronic sleep deprivation is linked to signs of early onset Alzheimer’s?
Even in less severe cases, getting enough sleep can reduce memory problems. According to the journal Learning and Memory, students who slept at least six hours before a memory recall test made fewer mistakes than those who stayed awake.
To figure out why, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center used fMRI to measure brain activity both with and without adequate sleep. They found that sleep activated areas controlling speed and accuracy and downplayed areas controlling anxiety and stress.
So get your sleep if you want to be smarter.
Getting extra sleep can increase athletic performance
If you’re an athlete, a weekend warrior, or just care about exercise, better sleep can improve your performance.
In one study of football players, sleep extension decreased their 20 and 40-yd sprint times by a tenth of a second. These athletes also reported less fatigue and sleepiness throughout the day, which made for better practices.
When researchers tested swimmers at Stanford, they measured 15m sprint times across two weeks of regular sleep patterns. Then, they asked the athletes to sleep 10 hours per day for six to seven weeks, and tested them again.
On average, the extra sleep accounted for a 0.51 second drop in sprint time. That’s an insane improvement based solely on sleep.
Sleep can balance hormones, increase sex drive, and improve relationships
Research confirms that we consistently need 7-9 hours of sleep at night to counteract stress. Obviously, reduced stress can lead to better conversations and more productive relationships.
However, did you know that elevated cortisol from a lack of sleep actually suppresses sex hormone production?
Cortisol and testosterone/estrogen are on opposite ends of the spectrum. When one increases, the other depletes, and vice versa. Reduced estrogen and testosterone levels are associated with decreased libido, which in turn impacts relationships.
Slight changes can have powerful effects. In women, simply sleeping for one more hour raised the likelihood of sex the next day up to 15%. Plus, chronic sleep disturbance is associated with a whole host of psychological issues.
So get enough sleep, have better sex, and enjoy a healthy, wholesome relationship.
Hopefully after reading the above paragraphs, you’re convinced that better sleep = better quality of life.
Okay, back to Montmorency Tart Cherries: what are they?
Montmorency tart cherries are exactly what they sound like. They’re cherries that originated from Montmorency, a suburb North of Paris, France. Known scientifically as Prunus cerasus, they’re now grown across the United States, Canada, and of course, France as well.
In fact, almost 95% of these cherries are grown right at home in the US, with 75% in Michigan alone. Brought across the pond centuries ago, the Great Lakes climate proved ideal for planting and harvesting cherry trees. Montmorency cherries can now claim the title of primary sour cherries grown in the USA.
Their distinctive red color and tart taste is assumed to come from the anthocyanin content, a powerful antioxidant largely responsible for its anti-inflammatory benefits. It’s this quality that makes for a delicious cherry pie as well.
The popularity of these little fruits has skyrocketed in recent years due to their nutritional value. The whole fruit features a rich fiber content, while both the fruit and extract contain the following vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin B9
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Beta carotene
- Anthocyanins
- Flavanols
By balancing a healthy amount of natural sugar with fiber and the above ingredients, tart cherries are widely considered a superfood among nutritionists. But their primary benefit? Enhanced sleep.
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– Natural Sleep Aid with Montmorency Tart Cherry –
How do Montmorency Tart Cherry benefit sleep?
Regardless of whether you choose to eat, drink, or supplement them, the advantages of these little superfoods are here for the taking. Learn how to use Montmorency cherries to sleep better at night, so you can get back to running your day.
Montmorency Tart Cherry contain melatonin
Montmorency tart cherries are naturally rich in a compound called melatonin, AKA the sleep hormone. Your body naturally produces melatonin through the pineal gland, a tiny, pea-sized gland in your brain that regulates circadian rhythm.
In order to do its job, it releases melatonin in response to drops in daylight and temperature. That’s why as the day comes to a close, you start to feel sleepy and crawl into bed. Unfortunately, modern life disrupts these natural signals through constant artificial light and thermostats.
Therefore, taking exogenous melatonin provides a secret signal for sleepiness. Tart cherries are as effective, if not more, than taking a basic melatonin pill.
Take it for the tryptophan concentration
Tart cherry extract induces sleep through its tryptophan concentration. Tryptophan, and amino acid, helps create serotonin, the happiness molecule. In addition to making you feel blissful, serotonin also (surprise) regulates sleep.
Not only do montmorency cherries contain 9mg of tryptophan per 100g, they also feature compounds that stop its breakdown – procyanidins. Consuming montmorency tart cherries thus adds and protects tryptophan content for improved sleep.
Magnesium Tart Cherry helps us stay asleep
Magnesium provides a cofactor in tons of biological processes, including sleep. It’s a vital electrolyte for maintaining fluid balance. Magnesium calms down your nervous impulses, especially when controlling muscle contraction at the neuromuscular junction. That’s why it’s critical to avoiding cramps. It’s muscle-relaxing benefits extend way past the gym to lull you to sleep at night.
Magnesium’s interaction with muscle cells can help lower blood pressure and reduce twitching at night, keeping you asleep for longer.
Both directly and indirectly, magnesium levels benefit sleep quality. Just one cup of whole Montmorency cherries contains 3% of your daily value of magnesium, with extracts and concentrates being even more potent.
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– Natural Sleep Aid with Montmorency Tart Cherry –
Reduced muscle soreness can ease sleep
Not only do they have direct effects on sleep, but Montmorency cherries make it easier to pass out after a long day. One study in runners showed that those who consumed cherry juice before a competition experienced less pain both before and after the race. Other research confirms cherry juice consumption leads to reduced muscle damage and inflammation after a marathon.
Don’t run? No worries. Tart cherry juice reduces muscle catabolism and soreness after resistance training as well.
Where can you get Montmorency Tart Cherry?
You can find tart cherry juice in the juice aisle of most grocery stores, or look on online retailers (such as Amazon) to order it to your door. If you’re looking for extra sleep benefits, double up the melatonin and tryptophan with a sleep supplement.
Performance Lab Sleep, for example, adds concentrated Montmorency tart cherry to magnesium and L-tryptophan. By adding these natural sleep supplements, they only enhance the natural power of cherry juice.
Plus, if you don’t like the taste of cherry, it’s a good way to sneak those benefits in.
Final thoughts
Improving your sleep keeps your life in balance. Montmorency tart cherries can reduce soreness, get you to sleep at night, and put you in a better mood in the morning.
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