Tart Cherry Juice May Lengthen Sleep (Pilot)
Key takeaway
Possibly — a pilot study (n=8 completers) reported about +84 minutes of sleep time with tart cherry juice, but evidence is limited and not definitive for general insomnia treatment.
- Eight completers with insomnia slept longer on tart cherry juice than placebo in Losso et al. 2018.
- Efficiency also rose modestly in that pilot, but confidence intervals and generalizability are limited.
| Metric | Scientific Observation | Impact Magnitude | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sleep time | Pilot RCT, n=8 completers (Losso 2018) | ~+84 min vs placebo | ||
| Sleep efficiency | Same pilot | ~+5–6 percentage points | ||
| Evidence strength | Very small sample | Preliminary only | ||
| Source | Losso et al., Am J Ther 2018 | doi:10.1097/MJT.0000000000000584 |