London, July 15: Suffering from insomnia? Drink a glass of cherry juice twice daily, as scientists claim the fruit holds the key to a good nights sleep.
 Researchers at the University of Rochester in New York found that having a glass of unsweetened cherry juice in the morning and evening regularly helped people enjoy more sleep.
 Psychiatrist Dr Wilfred Pigeon, who led the study, said the cherry juice effect could be due to the fruits high content of melatonin -- the hormone that regulates the bodys sleep-wake cycle, the Daily Mail reported.
 Curing insomnia has become one of the biggest health challenges of the modern age.
 About one in four adults suffer from it and a fifth regularly get fewer than five hours sleep a night.
 For their study, the researchers analysed sleeping patterns of participants on two phases.
 During the first, the volunteers drank cherry juice every morning and evening, and in the second trial, they  were given a comparable fruit juice.
 They found that the cherry juice led to an average of 17 minutes more sleep.
 Dr Pigeon said: Given the side-effects of some medications, it is encouraging to have a natural alternative.
 Melatonin expert Dr Russel Reiter, of the University of Texas, said foods such as cherries may be a better alternative to boost the bodys supply than supplements.
 The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Medicinal Food.

-PTI