One Major Effect of Drinking Tart Cherry Juice, According To Experts

You've probably heard some buzz that tart cherry juice is loaded with antioxidants that help to decrease inflammation, and vitamins and minerals that may relieve joint pain and help you recover from physical activity. But when it comes time to wind down for the day, a team of pro athletes were among the first to discover that tart cherry juice can also be a major player in how well you sleep.

In recent years, tart cherry juice came onto the scene in a big way. A registered dietitian for Healthline says tart cherries—also known as dwarf cherries, sour cherries, or Montmorency cherries—pack 20 times the Vitamin A that sweet cherries do, along with fives times more antioxidants than regular cherries.

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And while all this makes it sound like tart cherries are great for your wellness and vitality, that juice with the zing might help you get some good zzz's. As Better Homes & Gardens reports, in recent years, the New York Rangers hockey team discovered that when they drank tart cherry juice for recovery after training, they were also sleeping really well. This spurred research, which found that tart cherries contain "a significant amount of melatonin," the natural sleep hormone, according to BHG.

Some pros also think tart cherry juice's anti-inflammatory properties help support good sleep. Karman Meyer is a registered dietitian nutritionist and author of Eat To Sleep: What To Eat & When To Eat It for a Good Night's Sleep. Meyer says, "The dose of melatonin in tart cherry juice is the primary reason it's helpful for sleep, but the magnesium content and anti-inflammatory properties are important too." Thanks to its roles in calming anxiety and regulating the body's sleep cycle, magnesium is considered one of the best supplements for sleep. (Don't miss The Best Supplements for Sleep, According To Experts.)