Originally published September 8 2010
Cherries May Help You Sleep Better
by Paul Fassa
(NaturalNews) Hopefully the cherry growers and distributor industry won't publicize this to bring more threats from the FDA upon them, but a pilot study by research scientists showed that tart cherry juice reduced insomnia with older adults. The study was conducted by researchers from two universities at the VA Center of Canandaigua, and the findings were published in the June 3, 2010 issue of the Journal of Medicinal Food.
Is This Feasible?
A pilot study is undertaken to determine if the subject at hand is worthy of more research. So maybe the jury is still out. But one fact remains: cherries are rich with melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland to regulate sleep patterns. That function can be blocked by light, so making sure you're in the dark is vital. Melatonin production can also be blocked by stress and calcification of the pineal gland from fluoride.
Is it any wonder that in addition to stressful living, a nation that has over half its water supply fluoridated has over 40 million insomnia suffers?
There are melatonin supplements available to induce sleep. Though there are many who use melatonin supplements successfully, there are those who have problems with them. In either case, tart cherries or cherry juices are a healthy, tasty way to increase your melatonin levels, as well as add more antioxidants into your body.
Russel J. Retier, PhD biomedical scientist at the University of Texas Health Center puts it this way: "When consumed regularly, tart cherries may help regulate the body's natural sleep cycle and increase sleep efficiency, including decreasing the time it takes to fall asleep." Reiter continued, "And, because cherries are so rich in other antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, you get other important health benefits."
Defining Insomnia
Not being able to get to sleep is merely one example of insomnia. Getting up frequently, inadvertently getting up too early, having problems getting back to sleep after being awakened, not feeling refreshed or feeling irritable after putting in the hours of sleep that we normally seem to consider enough are all signs of insomnia.
It's not just the hour quantity that determines adequate sleep; the quality of sleep within that time is paramount. And that quality is determined by whether or not one goes through the five inner cycles of sleep.
The five inner cycles don't occur only once during the seven to eight hours you're in bed. Those five phases recycle again with emphasis shifting as they recycle. If any of those sleep phases get short circuited, there is a problem with the quality of sleep regardless of the hours in bed.
Deep sleep stages three and four with their different densities of Delta waves have been determined to be the most beneficial for strengthening the immune system, while stage five is the notorious REM (rapid eye movement) cycle. That's where we do most of our dreaming for stress relief.
Coverage of a revealing Miami Beach Mt. Sinai sleep study can be read in this Natural News article, "Learn All About Sleep and Its Connection to Your Immune System" http://www.naturalnews.com/026637_health_bra...
Conclusion
Coping daily with poor sleep only adds to stress while diminishing the immune system. The concept of recharging the battery is applicable to sleep's importance. It's wise to treat sleep as you would diet and exercise to maintain health.
If you like tart cherries or cherry juices (no sugar or aspartame please), indulging yourself regularly may be an enjoyable way to ensure adequate melatonin levels for high quality sound sleep as well as for improved overall health.
Sources used and for more information include:
A Fluoride Free Pineal Gland is More Important than Ever http://www.naturalnews.com/026364_fluoride_p...
National Sleep Foundation - Cherry Juice Could Affect Your Insomnia http://www.sleepfoundation.org/alert/cherry-...
The Link Between Cherries and Insomnia
http://www.insomniacauses.com.au/cures-for-i...
Montmorency Cherries for Insomnia
http://www.grannymed.com/remedies/conditions...
Health benefits of Cherries
http://www.healthy-is-wealthy.com/tartcherri...
About the author
Paul Fassa is dedicated to warning others about the current corruption of food and medicine and guiding others toward a direction for better health with no restrictions on health freedom. You can visit his blog at http://healthmaven.blogspot.com
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