Hiya Sweet Friend,
Check out this super informative guest article by Jennifer Reilly, RD from my blog archives. Happy reading—take it away Jennifer! xo, Kris
There’s not a soul out there who can argue against the need for sleep. Not only is it beautifully rejuvenating both physically and mentally, but it also boosts your metabolism, quiets any tendency toward the “F-its,” and helps you choose healthier foods during the day.
Without adequate rest (seven or more hours a night), your body is stressed and responds by making more cortisol. This gives you a quick burst of energy, which is perfect if you’re in the wild running from a hungry lion. But, chances are you’re not running from a hungry lion, so the extra cortisol simply stimulates hunger and disrupts your ability to metabolize carbohydrates, therefore increasing blood sugar levels, insulin production and body fat storage.
Without enough Zzz’s, leptin production also drops. Big deal? Absolutely. Leptin triggers fullness and helps you stay satisfied with the best food choices. Without it, you’ll crave sugary movie theater carbs, and you may not be able to resist.
Sleep also stimulates growth hormones, which regulate fat and muscle proportions in the body and promote graceful aging. So, without good lengthy slumbers, you may be exercising your little tush off, but you’re not building any muscle, and the wrinkles are piling on. No thank you!
But what if you can’t sleep? Food to the rescue! Certain foods are naturally rich in the antioxidant and sleep hormone melatonin, while other foods are rich in the amino acid and serotonin precursor tryptophan. Not only might these foods help you get a good night’s rest, but they also lack the groggy-foggy day-after side effects of over-the-counter or prescription sleep meds.
Foods Rich in Melatonin
Tart cherries
Bananas
Tomatoes
Oats
Rice bran
Sweet corn
Wheatgrass juice
Ginger
Foods Rich in Tryptophan
Almonds
Peanuts
Pumpkin seeds
Spirulina
Beans
Tofu
Both groups can be helpful for promoting restful sleep by quieting down your noisy brain when the lights turn out. But one food—tart cherries—seems to have a leg up when it comes to knocking you into a deep, refreshing sleep. I decided to do a little experiment: I wondered if it could work just as well as the peanut butter (tryptophan) or almond butter (tryptophan) and banana (melatonin) bedtime sandwich I’d come to love since my first pregnancy nearly seven years ago. And even though I generally have little trouble hitting REM after chasing three young kids and endless dirty dishes around from dawn till dusk, there are still plenty of random nights when my busy brain (on pillow) gets stuck recounting 4th-grade spelling bees.
I tried tart cherry juice for eight nights.
How I cherried: 4 ounces Very Cherre tart cherry juice 15 to 30 minutes before bed: 65 calories, 10.5 grams sugar. Bedtime was 10-10:30 p.m. (My kids are up at 5:30 a.m. sometimes!)
What happened: Fell asleep within five minutes of my head hitting the pillow, except on the night I had the Dixie Chicks’ “There’s Your Trouble” stuck in my head. That night it took five to 10 minutes to fall asleep. No trouble here!
So?: If falling asleep or staying asleep are potential problems, tart cherry juice is absolutely worth a try. Beyond my own personal n=1 pilot study, several of my nutrition patients, friends and family members have also experienced an easier time falling asleep and staying asleep with just 4 ounces of tart cherry juice at bedtime.
And as a bonus, tart cherry juice has a hearty dose of antioxidants, provides some potential arthritis and inflammation relief, and it supplies half your day’s need for vitamin C in a low-cal, 4-ounce glass. If 4 ounces at bedtime doesn’t work, Dr. Andrew Weil suggests having 8 ounces in the a.m. and the p.m.
i read about the benefits of tart red cherry juice after being diagnosed with breast cancer. I drink it over crushed ice and it dilutes it a little that way. I didn’t know about the sleep benefits but now that you say it I notice I do fall asleep quickly when I drink it at night. I was worried about the calories and sugar, so i was drinking it in the morning. Now I will switch to nightly. Thanks!
Absolutely, Fran! I sometimes dilute 4 oz tart cherry juice with 2 oz water and heat it up for a bedtime “tea.” Enjoy! – Jen
My friend introduced me to tart cherry juice shortly after being diagnosed. I drink mine mixed with soda water, I get my fizz fix and it is still good for me!
Where do you purchase very tart cherry juice?
Hey Selma, Whole Foods has a good 365 brand Tart Cherry Juice, smaller health food stores usually carry R.W. Knudsen Organic Just Tart Cherry Juice, and most large grocery chains have Very Cherre made by Old Orchards. Hope that helps! – Jen
I have also read that it is a natural weapon in the battle with gout. I use it as an anti-inflammatory. I have read that it is the equivalent to aspirin. Plus it tastes UNBELIEVABLE! I love the stuff, never thought of it in a smoothies though, duh!! I have a bottle of the concentrate, my local farm stand carries it (yay!) and I eat it right off the spoon! Be forewarned, you have to count the calories though. Drizzle it over your non-dairy ice cream of choice too, if you like that kind of thing.
I found it at Trader Joe’s today only 3.99 for a 32oz bottle 🙂
I recently started adding tart cherry juice and the tart cherry juice capsules to get better sleep..I have stage 4 breast cancer and I have trouble sleeping due to the injections..my oncologist gave me a prescription for Celexa and Ativan..the Ativan does help me sleep if I take 2 .5 mg..but I don’t like how it makes me feel..unfortunately I need the Ativan for my scans..I have been adding bananas and oatmeal..I still don’t sleep great for the past few months since I have been on theses injections…I have always had sleep problems but it’s been worse since the doctor put me on Faslodex and Lupron..i use to get about 4-5 hours sleep..now i get a few hours broken up thru the night even on the cherry juice..although this is better..i would lay there and be up all night otherwise..when I mention the sleep problems to the doctors they just want to give me more medication..the Ativan when taken regurlarly made me feel weepy and depressed..
Sleepless in Nj while fighting cancer
Susan, First of all Iam praying for your healing of cancer and praying for super out come of this Tart Cherry juice that it helps. My sister had breast and she believes in natural and prayer. So just stay on it and prayer earnestly to our Lord. Paula