There have been anecdotes of cherries being used as a sleep aid for a very long time, but is it just an old wives’ tale, or is there really something to the idea that cherries can help you sleep?

Until recently, there was no scientific evidence either way. But in 2010 a pilot study was published which measured the effects of tart cherry juice in older patients with insomnia. The results were that the tart cherry juice did indeed produce reductions of the severity of the patients’ insomnia, however results were not consistent and were negligible in some cases.

This sleep-inducing effect of tart cherries is thought to be because of their high melatonin content. Melatonin is a naturally occurring chemical compound which helps with the regulation of your circadian rhythm; a biological process which, among many other things, controls your sleep cycles.