Tart Cherry Research Library: Sleep & Recovery
Introduction
Compiled and reviewed by Andy LaPointe, Co-founder, Wellness, Marketing & Culinary Director, Traverse Bay Farms.
Last reviewed July 2026
This is a plain-English library of the published human research on tart cherry and two of its most-studied uses: sleep and exercise recovery. Traverse Bay Farms gathered the studies, organized them, and summarized what each one found — all in one place, with a link to every original source.
Tart cherry is one of the most-researched fruits in this area, with human trials going back to 2006, and Montmorency is the variety used in most of them. We did not run these studies. We compiled them so you can read what the science actually says and check it for yourself.
Traverse Bay Farms did not conduct or fund these studies. This page is a curated summary of independent, peer-reviewed research, with each finding linked to its source. It is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Why We Built This
Tart cherry gets talked about a lot right now — for sleep, for post-workout recovery, in “sleepy girl mocktail” videos and sports-nutrition marketing. Some of that is accurate and some of it overreaches.
As a Northern Michigan tart cherry company, with nationwide shipping, that has followed this research for more than two decades, we wanted one honest reference: every relevant human study in a single place, described in normal language, with the strong results and the studies that found nothing shown side by side. That way you can make up your own mind.
What the Research Covers, at a Glance
- Tart cherry (Prunus cerasus) is a natural food source of melatonin, the compound tied to the body’s sleep–wake cycle.
- Montmorency is the tart cherry variety used in most published sleep and recovery studies.
- Human research on tart cherry and sleep dates back to 2010; research on exercise recovery dates back to 2006.
- This library includes 19 published human studies and reviews across sleep and exercise recovery.
- It also includes the studies that found no effect, so the picture stays balanced.
- Every entry links to its original source on PubMed or the publishing journal.
What You’ll Find on This Page
The studies are grouped into two sections — sleep and exercise recovery — and within each, by what the researchers measured. For every study you’ll see who ran it, the year, the journal, the type of tart cherry and how it was taken, how many people took part, what they reported, and a link to the original. Reviews and meta-analyses (studies that pool many trials together) are marked so you can see where the broader weight of the evidence lands.
Tart Cherry and Sleep
Howatson et al. (2012) — European Journal of Nutrition
In 20 healthy adults, Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate (30 mL twice daily for 7 days) was associated with higher melatonin levels and improvements in total sleep time and sleep efficiency versus placebo. View study →
Pigeon et al. (2010) — Journal of Medicinal Food
A pilot study in 15 older adults with chronic insomnia reported improvements across sleep measures and reduced time awake after falling asleep with a tart cherry juice beverage, with modest effect sizes. View study →
Losso et al. (2018) — American Journal of Therapeutics
In a small pilot of adults aged 50+ with insomnia, tart cherry juice was associated with an increase of about 84 minutes of sleep on overnight sleep monitoring, alongside changes in markers related to the tryptophan pathway. View study →
Chung et al. (2022) — Int. Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
In 19 elite female field hockey players, Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate after intermittent exercise was associated with improvements in several actigraphy-measured sleep markers. View study →
Tucker et al. (2024) — Nutrients · No significant effect
A randomized crossover trial in 34 adults found that a low-dose (500 mg) Montmorency tart cherry powder capsule did not improve sleep or inflammation markers — a useful contrast to the juice and concentrate studies. View study →
Stretton et al. (2023) — Current Sleep Medicine Reports · Meta-analysis
A meta-analysis pooling 8 studies reported significant improvements in objectively measured sleep efficiency and total sleep time with tart cherry, while subjective measures did not reach significance. View study →
Barforoush et al. (2025) — Food Science & Nutrition · Systematic review
A systematic review of 7 studies concluded tart cherry may support sleep quality but noted the evidence remains limited and mixed, calling for larger trials. View study →
Tart Cherry and Exercise Recovery
Hill et al. (2021) — Int. Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism · Meta-analysis
The strongest synthesis to date — a meta-analysis of 14 studies — reported that tart cherry supplementation was associated with faster recovery of muscle strength, reduced muscle soreness, and lower markers of inflammation after strenuous exercise. View study →
Connolly et al. (2006) — British Journal of Sports Medicine
The first randomized trial in this area: after a demanding arm workout, average strength loss over four days was 22% with placebo versus 4% with tart cherry juice, and participants reported less pain. View study →
Howatson et al. (2010) — Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
In 20 marathon runners, Montmorency tart cherry juice was associated with faster recovery of muscle strength and lower markers of inflammation and oxidative stress after the race. View study →
Kuehl et al. (2010) — Journal of the Int. Society of Sports Nutrition
Among 54 distance runners, those who drank Montmorency tart cherry juice reported substantially less muscle pain after their race than the placebo group. View study →
Bell et al. (2014) — Nutrients
In 16 trained cyclists, Montmorency tart cherry concentrate across three days of high-intensity cycling was associated with lower markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. View study →
Bell et al. (2015) — Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism
In trained cyclists, Montmorency tart cherry concentrate was associated with better-maintained muscle strength across 72 hours of recovery. View study →
Bell et al. (2016) — Nutrients
In 16 semi-professional soccer players, Montmorency tart cherry concentrate was associated with lower muscle soreness and better-retained strength after prolonged intermittent exercise. View study →
Levers et al. (2015) — Journal of the Int. Society of Sports Nutrition
In 23 resistance-trained men, powdered Montmorency tart cherry was associated with lower muscle soreness after intense lower-body strength exercise. View study →
Levers et al. (2016) — Journal of the Int. Society of Sports Nutrition
In 27 endurance-trained runners and triathletes, powdered Montmorency tart cherry was associated with faster run times and lower markers of muscle breakdown and inflammation. View study →
McCormick et al. (2016) — Journal of the Int. Society of Sports Nutrition · No significant effect
In 9 water polo players, Montmorency tart cherry concentrate showed no significant recovery benefit — which the authors linked to the low muscle-damage load of a non-weight-bearing sport. View study →
Morgan et al. (2020) — Int. Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance
A randomized trial examining tart cherry juice for recovery after intermittent exercise. View study →
Vitale, Hueglin & Broad (2017) — Current Sports Medicine Reports · Review
A practitioner-focused review (published by the American College of Sports Medicine) concluded tart cherry juice can support exercise recovery through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and may aid sleep, while calling for standardized dosing. View study →
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Traverse Bay Farms conduct this research?
No. Every study on this page was conducted by independent, third-party researchers and published in peer-reviewed journals. Traverse Bay Farms did not conduct or fund these studies. We compiled, organized, and summarized the research as a reference, and every finding links to its original source.
What kind of cherry do these studies use?
All studies listed here used tart cherry (Prunus cerasus) — most often the Montmorency variety, either as juice, juice concentrate, or powder. We deliberately excluded sweet-cherry (Prunus avium) studies so this remains a clean tart-cherry reference.
How was this list put together?
We searched the published human-trial literature on tart cherry for sleep and exercise recovery, included the systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and added the studies that found no effect so the picture stays honest. Each entry links to PubMed or the publishing journal, and we update the library as new research appears.
How to Cite This Resource
Traverse Bay Farms. (2026). Tart Cherry Research Library: Sleep & Recovery. Compiled by A. LaPointe. Retrieved from https://www.traversebayfarms.com/pages/tart-cherry-research-library
About the Curator
Andy LaPointe is co-founder and Wellness, Marketing & Culinary Director of Traverse Bay Farms, a Northern Michigan Montmorency tart cherry specialty food brand founded in 2001 with more than 38 national food awards. With over two decades of experience in tart cherry products, he follows and curates the published research so customers have a trustworthy place to read what the science actually says.
Traverse Bay Farms Rewards Program — Frequently Asked Questions
The Traverse Bay Farms Rewards Program (also called "Join the Club") is a free customer loyalty program at traversebayfarms.com.
Members earn points for creating an account, making purchases, following Traverse Bay Farms on social media, and referring friends, then redeem those points for money-off discount codes at checkout.
Below are answers to the most common questions about how to join, earn points, and redeem rewards.
Joining the program
Is the Traverse Bay Farms Rewards Program free to join?
Yes. The Traverse Bay Farms Rewards Program is completely free.
There is no membership fee and no purchase required to join — you simply create a free account at traversebayfarms.com to start earning points.
How do I join the Traverse Bay Farms Rewards Program?
Joining takes three steps:
(1) Sign up by creating a free account at traversebayfarms.com,
(2) earn points every time you shop and through other rewarded actions, and
(3) redeem your points for exclusive discount rewards.
You can join by clicking "Join Now" on the rewards page. Existing customers can click "Log In" to access their points.
Do I get points just for signing up?
Yes. When you create your free Traverse Bay Farms account you earn a one-time welcome bonus of 25 points. This is credited automatically once your account is set up.
Earning Points
How do I earn points at Traverse Bay Farms?
You earn points at Traverse Bay Farms in several ways:
- 100 points for creating an account,
- 1 point for every $1.00 you spend,
- 100 points on your birthday, 25 points for visiting the Traverse Bay Farms Facebook page,
- 50 points for sharing the Traverse Bay Farms website on Facebook,
- 10 points for following Traverse Bay Farms on Instagram,
- 200 points for each friend you successfully refer.
How many points do I earn per dollar spent at Traverse Bay Farms?
You earn 1 point for every $1.00 you spend at Traverse Bay Farms.
For example, a $50 order earns 50 points. Points from purchases are added to your rewards account automatically.
Do I get birthday points from Traverse Bay Farms?
Yes. Traverse Bay Farms rewards members with 100 points on their birthday each year. Add your birthday to your account profile so the points can be applied.
Can I earn points by following Traverse Bay Farms on social media?
Yes. Traverse Bay Farms gives points for social actions:
- 25 points for visiting the Traverse Bay Farms Facebook page,
- 50 points for sharing the Traverse Bay Farms website on Facebook,
- 10 points for following Traverse Bay Farms on Instagram.
These are typically one-time bonuses per action.
Redeeming Points
What rewards can I redeem my points for?
Traverse Bay Farms members redeem points for money-off discount codes at checkout. The reward tiers are:
- 350 points for $10.00 off,
- 700 points for $20.00 off,
- 1,050 points for $30.00 off.
You choose the reward you want when you have enough points.
How many points do I need for a discount at Traverse Bay Farms?
At Traverse Bay Farms,
- 350 points gets you $10.00 off your order,
- 700 points gets you $20.00 off,
- 1,050 points gets you $30.00 off.
You can save your points until you reach the reward tier you want.
How do I redeem my Traverse Bay Farms points?
Redeeming points is easy. Click "Redeem My Points" in the rewards panel and select an eligible reward (for example, $10.00 off for 350 points). You'll receive a discount code — copy that code and paste it into your shopping cart during checkout. The code is also emailed to you for convenience.
Where do I enter my Traverse Bay Farms reward code?
Paste your reward discount code into the discount-code field in your shopping cart during checkout at traversebayfarms.com.
The same code is emailed to you, so you can also copy it from your email if you check out later.
How do I check my Traverse Bay Farms points balance?
Log in to your Traverse Bay Farms account at traversebayfarms.com and open the rewards panel to see your current points balance and the rewards you can redeem.
Referring Friends
How does the Traverse Bay Farms refer-a-friend program work?
With the Traverse Bay Farms referral program, you give friends 10% off their first purchase of $30.00 or more, and you earn 200 points for each friend who makes a successful referral purchase.
Share your referral link from your rewards account to get started.
How much is a Traverse Bay Farms referral worth?
Each successful referral earns you 200 points at Traverse Bay Farms, and your referred friend gets 10% off their first order of $30.00 or more.
Referral points can be combined with your other points toward reward tiers ($10, $20, or $30 off).
Get Free Recipes and Wellness Tips
Get simple recipes, seasonal specials, and wellness tips featuring our award-winning nationally-distributed favorites. Sign up below and we’ll send you helpful ideas you can use right away.