This Amazing Smoothie Recipe Can Help Lull You Into a Deep Sleep
If you're like the 83 million Americans who aren't getting enough sleep, a good night's rest is a moving target.
Perhaps even more troubling, women—who need more sleep than men—are more likely to suffer from insomnia. There are sleeping pills, of course, but the best solution may be found in nature.
Tart cherries, for example, are one of the few food sources of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep cycles. "Montmorency cherries contain the highest level of naturally occurring melatonin of any fruit, more than six times the amount found in similar Balaton cherries," says Michael Breus, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist with the American Board of Sleep Medicine and author of Good Night: The Sleep Doctors 4-week Program to Better Sleep.
"We're discovering that tart cherries help people fall and stay asleep, without the side effects or medication interaction caused by other super foods like grapefruit," Breus told WomansDay.com.
In recent clinical studies, researchers found that tart cherry juice boosts the body's supply of melatonin, helps combat insomnia, and enhances overall sleep quality. Sadly, tart cherry juice isn't the tastiest thing in the world (it is a health food, after all), but Breus has concocted a yummy way to consume the nutritious stuff just before bed.
Dr. Breus's Sleep Smoothie
2 oz. tart cherry juice concentrate
1 banana
1 kiwi fruit
1 cup coconut or almond milk
10 ice cubes
Place the ingredients in a blender, puree until smooth, and enjoy! Bananas and kiwis are also known to help with sleep and the nut milk makes this smoothie safe for anyone with lactose intolerance.
Tart cherries also contain anti-inflammatory properties—the reason athletes consume them to recover from grueling workouts. You'll want to use Montmorency cherries specifically, as the health benefits touted above are specific to this U.S.-grown variety. Also of note: tart cherries aren't sold fresh: only frozen, dried, or in juice form.
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