What Happens to Your Inflammation and Sleep When You Drink Cherry Juice

The benefits of cherry juice, especially tart cherry juice, include better sleep, reduced inflammation, less muscle soreness, and lower blood pressure. It contains polyphenols and anthocyanins, two types of molecules that can reduce inflammation in the body.

1. Fights Inflammation and Arthritis Pain

Cherry juice is packed with antioxidants, substances that combat cell damage in your body. Because of this, cherry juicemay help with arthritis pain. A randomized study has found that tart cherry juice may reduce pain and joint stiffness, while a mice study has found it prevents bone loss.

2. Reduces Gout Risks and Symptoms

Research shows that eating cherries and drinking tart cherry juice may reduce your risk of developing gout or experiencing symptoms of gout attack. Gout is an inflammatory disease, so the anti-inflammatory properties of cherry juice help with symptoms

3. May Boost Sleep Quality

Some people sleep better after consuming tart cherry juice. In fact, cherry juice is a key ingredient in the “Sleepy Girl Mocktail” that’s went viral.

A small study found that people with insomnia slept better after consuming two 8-ounce glasses of tart cherry juice each day. Cherries contain melatonin, a compound that helps regulate sleep; so drinking tart cherry juice may help with sleep issues.

4. Aids Post-Workout Recovery

Research has found that regularly consuming tart cherry juice can reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Studies have shown that people who drank tart cherry juice after exercise restored their muscle function more quickly than people who didn’t.

5. May Reduce Blood Pressure

The benefits of tart cherry juice can include lowering blood pressure. This type of cherry juice lowers systolic blood pressure (the pressure in your blood vessels when the heart pumps blood). One study that found this benefit had participants drink 480 milliliters (about 16 ounces) of tart cherry juice each day for 12 weeks.

6. Can Lower “Bad” Cholesterol

Another benefit of tart cherry juice is lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the “bad” type of cholesterol that can raise your risk for heart attack or stroke.

7. May Reduce Risk of Diabetes

Some research suggests that consuming cherry juice may be helpful for people with diabetes:

• One small study found that consuming cherry juice can help reduce A1C levels (average blood sugar levels over the most recent three months) while others showed that it can help stabilize fasting blood sugar levels.
• An animal study found that consuming cherries could reduce the risk of diabetes in at-risk populations, something that may be true in humans as well.

8. Can Fight Stress and Anxiety

Cherry juice can impact your mental health, too. Research has found that cherry juice consumption may help reduce stress and anxiety.

9. May Help Short-Term Memory

Cherry juice may help short-term memory. A small study found that drinking 200 milliliters (about 7 ounces) of cherry juice each day for 12 weeks improved both short-term and long-term memory in adults with mild to moderate dementia.

10. Builds a Stronger Immune System

Cherry juice contains vitamins A and C, which support the immune system. Research has also found that cherries can help fight off harmful bacteria.

11. Improves Vision

Anthocyanins, the antioxidants found in cherry juice, are very good for your eyes. They can reduce inflammation that can contribute to eye disease and vision changes. The antioxidant properties of cherry juice can help fight off macular degeneration, and improve vision in patients with glaucoma.

12. May Prevent Cancer

Drinking cherry juice may even help prevent cancer:

• One study found that cherries can fight cancer by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Oxidative stress is caused by too many free radicals (unstable molecules in the body that can damage DNA, causing mutations that can make it more likely for cancer to develop) in the body that aren’t neutralized by antioxidants.
• Another study found that tart cherry juice can reduce nerve pain in cancer patients on chemotherapy.

How Often (and When) Should You Drink Cherry Juice?

There’s no standard dose of cherry juice that will start giving you benefits. Most studies on the benefits of cherry juice used one to two glasses of cherry juice each day. You can start by drinking a glass of cherry juice in the morning, and one in the evening (or before bed, if you’re looking to improve your sleep quality.

Who Should Avoid Drinking Cherry Juice?

Cherry juice is generally safe, but follow these precautions:

• There aren’t widely recognized interactions between cherry juice and medications, but it’s always best to talk with your healthcare provider or pharmacist. 
• It’s best to opt for unsweetened cherry juice since too much added sugar can negatively affect health. People with diabetes or at risk for developing diabetes should be mindful of their juice intake since even unsweetened juices can impact blood sugar.