Effects of a tart cherry juice beverage on the sleep of older adults with insomnia: A pilot study
Open accessAbstract
This study ascertained whether a proprietary tart cherry juice blend (CherryPharm, Inc., Geneva, NY, USA) associated with anecdotal reports of sleep enhancement improves subjective reports of insomnia compared to a placebo beverage. The pilot study used a randomized, double-blind, crossover design where each participant received both treatment and placebo for 2 weeks with an intervening 2-week washout period. Sleep continuity (sleep onset, wake after sleep onset, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency) was assessed by 2-week mean values from daily sleep diaries and disease severity by the Insomnia Severity Index in a cohort of 15 older adults with chronic insomnia who were otherwise healthy. The tart cherry juice beverage was associated with statistically significant pre- to post-treatment improvements on all sleep variables. When compared to placebo, the study beverage produced significant reductions in insomnia severity (minutes awake after sleep onset); no such improvements were observed for sleep latency, total sleep time, or sleep efficiency compared to placebo. Effect sizes were moderate and in some cases negligible. The results of this pilot study suggest that CherryPharm, a tart cherry juice blend, has modest beneficial effects on sleep in older adults with insomnia with effect sizes equal to or exceeding those observed in studies of valerian and in some, but not all, studies of melatonin, the two most studied natural products for insomnia. These effects, however, were considerably less than those for evidence-based treatments of insomnia: hypnotic agents and cognitive-behavioral therapies for insomnia.
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Tart cherry juice consumption significantly reduced insomnia severity index scores and wake after sleep onset time in older females with insomnia (n = 7) compared to placebo.
“A similar study demonstrated that tart cherry juice consumption resulted in significantly reduced insomnia severity index scores (13.2 ± 2.8 versus control 14.9 ± 3.6; p < 0.05) and wake after sleep onset time (62.1 ± 37.4 min versus control, 79.1 ± 38.6 mins; p < 0.01), in older females with insomnia (n = 7) compared to a placebo [68].”
From Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes (2019) · cites this paper as [68]
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“01), in older females with insomnia (n = 7) compared to a placebo [68].”
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“In addition, a double-blind pilot study showed that fresh tartar cherry juice reduced insomnia in elderly subjects (n = 15) [51].”
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- Authors
- Pigeon, W. R., Carr, M., Gorman, C., & Perlis, M. L.
- Affiliations
- University of Rochester Medicine (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Corresponding author
- Pigeon, Wilfred R.
- Venue
- Journal of Medicinal Food
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2010-06
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 579-583
- ISSN
- 1096-620X (ISSN-L)
- 1557-7600
- PMC
- PMC3133468
- OpenAlex
- W1983372085
- Cited by
- 159
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 5.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Medicinal Food (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Mental Health (L30 MH087269)
- National Institute of Nursing Research (K23NR010408)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Medicinal Plant Extracts Effects
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Keywords
- tart cherry juice, sweet cherry, insomnia, older adults, sleep continuity, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency, sleep latency, total sleep time, Insomnia Severity Index, natural products, functional beverages
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Beverages, Female, Humans, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Male, Pilot Projects, Sleep, Cross-Over Studies, Prunus
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