Tart Cherry And Tryptophan: Reviewing Food For Sleep By Scientific Nutrition Products

I’m always on the lookout for new natural supplements to supplement my sleep. I prefer pills to drinks, but with the mounting research lauding the benefits of tart cherry for both inflammation-induced pain, brought on by physical activity and improved sleep quality, Food for Sleep seemed worth the try. I recently joined a 30-day pushup challenge, and my triceps would not mind the added recovery bonus.

Stated Use

Created for people who want the benefits of better sleep and who prefer non-drug solutions, Food for Sleep helps people fall asleep sooner, stay asleep, and enjoy improved sleep quality.

Active Ingredients

  • Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate and tart cherry juice powder — Originally used as a recovery-aid post exercise, participants of this study also reported improved sleep quality.
  • Whey peptides (L-Tryptophan) — This amino acid plays a part in the synthesis of both melatonin and serotonin hormones involved with mood and stress response and sleep/wake cycles.

In addition to the above, the supplement contains natural cherry pomegranate flavor, citric acid, xanthan gum, and stevia extract.

My Experience

Let me preface this by saying that I take my coffee black, and besides some local honey for my allergies, I have no sweeteners, artificial or natural, at my house. Following the bottle’s directions, I drank the whole bottle a half-hour before sleep. I then followed it with two full glasses of ice-cold water, in an attempt to get the taste out of my mouth. The bitterness itself didn’t bother me as much as the stevia aftertaste. Stevia, an all-natural no-calorie sweetener, was probably added  to combat the bitterness of the tart cherry and the whey, but the plant’s chemically (and ironically, bitter) aftertaste was almost too much for me to handle.

With that as a caveat, I did have a superb night’s sleep. I fell asleep much quicker than usual, and according to my sleep tracker I went straight into deep sleep. I did wake up once after a few hours to use the bathroom, but I think that had more to do with me drinking those two extra glasses of water before bed than anything else. I got right back to sleep once in bed, deep and restorative sleep. I woke up a couple of minutes before my alarm went off, feeling refreshed, and less sore than I expected to be after CrossFit and the extra pushups from the challenge.

Pros

  • Greatly reduced time to fall asleep
  • Induced basically uninterrupted deep sleep lasting 8+ hours
  • Improved muscle recovery (observationally)
  • TSA-friendly bottle size, good for redeye flights

Cons

  • It is literally tough to swallow

The Final Word

Food for Sleep works. I will try putting the vial in the fridge next time I take it to see if it makes the flavor any better. If you are looking for an effective sleep supplement that will  induce, deep and restful sleep, and also help you recover after tough workouts, this is a great option for you. I will keep taking it, especially after hard workout days. I would be interested to taste this product without Stevia.

Caitlyn

Having written hundreds of articles on SupplementYourSleep.com, Caitlyn knows what she's talking about when it comes to getting the best night's sleep. When not sleeping, reading about sleep, or writing about sleep, you can usually find her at the gym. Want to get in touch? The best way is to leave a comment on one of her articles.