Posted on 07/11/2009 9:24:53 PM PDT by doug from upland
EATING MELATONIN-RICH CHERRIES ARE ‘‘NATURAL” WAY TO RESET YOUR BODY CLOCK WHEN CROSSING TIME ZONES
Research Reveals that Cherries Boost Your Body’s Melatonin Levels to Help Prevent Jet Lag After Long International Flights
It takes mere seconds to reset our watch to a different time zone, but our body’s internal time clocks often take longer to sync up in our new locale.
Experienced travelers often stash a bottle of melatonin supplements in their carryon bag to help adjust, but experts say there may be a more natural and tasty way to get melatonin: cherries.
Recent studies have revealed that cherries are one of the richest known sources of natural melatonin that can help raise melatonin levels in your blood.
Tart cherries are sold year-round as dried, frozen, juice and juice concentrate.
Dubbed the “all-natural nightcap,” melatonin has been found to hasten sleep and ease jet lag. “Even a slight increase in the melatonin level in the body can improve the body’s circadian rhythm or sleep patterns,” said Russel J. Reiter, Ph.D., a nutrition researcher at the University of Texas Health Science Center and one of the world’s leading authorities on melatonin.
Reiter also is co-author of the book “Melatonin” (Bantam). “We’ve learned that melatonin from food enters the bloodstream and binds to sites in the brain where it helps restore the body’s natural levels of melatonin, which can help enhance the natural sleep process,” said Reiter.
Several studies indicate that melatonin can be effective as a remedy to aid sleep and alleviate jet lag – helping to restore normal sleeping patterns in weary travelers. The research suggests melatonin works best when consumed one hour prior to your desired sleep time on the plane and for three or more consecutive evenings after your arrival, depending on the number of time zones crossed.
Dried cherries are a convenient and portable way to get a melatonin boost on the plane. Research conducted by Reiter and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that a serving of cherries contains more melatonin than what is normally found in the blood during the day. One serving is ½ cup dried cherries, 1 cup frozen or juice or 2 tablespoons cherry juice concentrate.
Cherries are believed to be one of the most concentrated sources of melatonin. Bananas, corn and oats supply melatonin but in considerably smaller amounts.
Beyond the benefits of helping to reset the body’s internal time clock to treat jet lag, melatonin also may be helpful for late-shift workers trying to adjust to a new schedule. Increasing melatonin also has been shown to help with sleep-onset insomnia in older adults with a melatonin deficiency.
“During adulthood, blood levels of melatonin begin to decline and by age 60, levels can be significantly lower, which may account for the sleep disturbances that often occur with aging,” Reiter said. “If eaten 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.”
Increasing melatonin may do more than promote a restful sleep. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant that has been extensively studied in recent years for its role in reducing inflammation and fighting free radicals in the body, which is linked to increased cancer risk.
A new study published in the journal Free Radical Research that was conducted by Reiter and colleagues at the University of Granada in Spain found that melatonin neutralizes the oxidative and inflammation process caused by aging, thereby suggesting that melatonin may play a role in delaying the effects of aging. Based on the findings of this study, the authors suggest that daily melatonin intake in humans from the age of 30 or 40 could potentially help delay illnesses related to aging.
I planted an Italian plum and two cherry trees last summer. The cherry trees can't handle the brutal summer heat followed by the subzero winter temps in Pocatello. The plum tree survived just fine. My wife reports some growth low on the trunk of one cherry tree this week. Perhaps there is some life left in them.
As a “nutraceutical,” melatonin pills’ content are not as tightly regulated as medicines or even vitamins. There are good and bad brands.
I take Melatonin every night. I would say that as a sleep aid, 95% of time it works.
I didn’t know cherries are high in Melatonin. I might start eating some cherries for a late night snack.
I generally stick to a brand that works …. Natures Bounty.
Kava Kava also works well.
OTC melatonin is illegal in the UK. If you are traveling there and thinking about taking some melatonin along for jet lag, don’t do it.
Kava Kava … haven’t heard of this, will check it out, thanks.
Holy cow I been eating Michigan Cherries like they are going out of style and my doctor said I was low in Melatonin.
Today I keep saying to my self why I am craving all these Cherries I get these lager containers from Costco for the pass three weeks.
Had no clue they had Melatonin in them!
One of my favorites but do heck out the few cases of liver failure that have occurred.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080222111446.htm
Vendor: http://www.realkava.com/ Drug store stuff is mostly junk.
I don’t get any craving when I run out of melatonin capsules but I sure don’t sleep very well.
It does make you sleep!
The downside is that half of my dreams now make “Night of the Living Dead” look like a kids tea party...
The tryptophan in turkey gets converted in to melatonin in the body.
I can hardly eat turkey because it makes me so sleepy so very quickly. So, Thanksgiving is not fun for me anymore, LOL. But I never heard of the cherry-melatonian connection. I will try it tomorrow. Thanks for this post.
Excellent. Thanks.
WOW.
Interesting.
Thanks.
What happens to a time traveler that eats cherries?
Nobody likes taking pills and almost everybody likes eating cherries (especially dipping them in a bowl of freshly-whipped cream before you pop them in your mouth!), but when you're travelling, sometimes you just can't deal with sticky fingers, discarded stems, or pits.
It would sure be nice to have a bearing cherry tree and harvest your own.
You have heard of dried cherries, right? Just like raisins, only tastier and easier to get kids to eat. I’d put another link in to Cherry Republic’s dried cherry page, but it’s early.
I used to travel frequently. This worked for me every time. Departure time examples are based on JFK in NY.
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Going east or west: At destination, DO NOT TAKE A NAP.
Stay awake until your ‘normal’ bed time but in your new timezone time. Get up at your ‘normal’ time.
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Going East: Planes leave NY early evening so sleep on plane, if possible. Don’t eat the dinner meal (even if 1st or business class) as it wastes two hours of sleep and just sits in your gut messing up your metabolism. Upon arrival go to the office for a normal half work day. It will usually be too early to check into the hotel anyway.
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Going West: Planes leave early to mid morining, so sleeping is optional. Eating on plane is OK. I usually arrived home on Friday or Saturday so I just went home.
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Never heard of melatonin before, I never needed it, but it couldn’t hurt.
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If you do sleep during the day of arrival, you WILL have jetlag for up to a week.
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