Melatonin and sleep quality are increased following tart cherry juice consumption

Tart Montmorency cherries contain high levels of phytochemicals that include melatonin. Considering the alleged rampant use of prescription sleep medications in professional sports with a lot of travel (e.g. NHL), cherry juice might be a viable non-pharmacological alternative. We hypothesized that consumption of a tart cherry juice concentrate would provide an exogenous supply of melatonin and have a positive influence on sleep