Best for Sleep
Best Tart Cherry for Sleep
Top 5 products ranked · Reviewed May 2026 · 480–1000 mg clinical dose
Why Tart Cherry for Sleep
Tart Cherry plays a supporting role in sleep. Tart cherry contains natural melatonin, tryptophan, and anti-inflammatory anthocyanins. Multiple small RCTs show improvements in total sleep time and sleep efficiency. In clinical studies, tart cherry may improve total sleep time and sleep efficiency.
What dose to look for
Clinical studies typically use 480–1000 mg of tart cherry. Equivalent to 30 mL concentrate twice daily or 480 mL juice. Capsule form (500 mg) showed less benefit in one trial. Products below this range may not deliver meaningful results.
What the research says
Tart Cherry has moderate clinical evidence for sleep benefits. Multiple small clinical trials show improved sleep time and efficiency; anti-inflammatory mechanism Learn more
Clinical research on Tart Cherry (Montmorency)
MODERATE — Multiple small RCTs, systematic review · 480–1,000 mg (or 30 mL concentrate twice daily)
- •2012 RCT (20 volunteers) found tart cherry juice for 7 days significantly increased total sleep time (+34 min) and sleep efficiency (+5-6%). Urinary melatonin metabolite increased ~17%. PubMed
- •2023 systematic review and meta-analysis found significant improvements in total sleep time and sleep efficiency on objective measures.
- •2024 RCT found 500 mg tart cherry capsules did NOT improve sleep — suggesting the juice/concentrate form may be necessary.
- •Multi-factorial mechanism: natural melatonin, tryptophan, anti-inflammatory anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins. Anti-inflammatory effect may be more important than melatonin content.