None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
It is thought that both tart and sweet cherries can help support good sleep, although much more research has been carried out with tart cherries. This study will explore whether consuming sweet cherry juice has benefits for sleep health and overall well-being in adults living in Aotearoa New Zealand, who are experiencing mild-moderate insomnia symptoms. Participants will consume sweet cherry juice and a placebo for 14 days (in a random order), so that any effects can be evaluated. It is hypothesised that consuming sweet cherry juice will produce improvements in sleep, compared to placebo. Sleep health and overall well-being will be measured with activity monitors, diaries and questionnaires.
Interventions
Participants in this study will be adults aged 25-64 years who report mild-to-moderate insomnia symptoms, as assessed using validated scales (Insomnia Severity Index and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index).
The study is a double-blind, randomised crossover trial. The study has two arms, each lasting three weeks – an intervention arm and a control arm – with a one-week washout period.
The intervention for this study is a sweet cherry juice available on the New Zealand consumer market (Eden Orchard
Participants in this study will be adults aged 25-64 years who report mild-to-moderate insomnia symptoms, as assessed using validated scales (Insomnia Severity Index and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). The study is a double-blind, randomised crossover trial. The study has two arms, each lasting three weeks – an intervention arm and a control arm – with a one-week washout period. The intervention for this study is a sweet cherry juice available on the New Zealand consumer market (Eden Orchards pure cherry juice), which is comprised of 100% New Zealand cherry juice. Participants will consume 100mL of sweet cherry juice once per day within 1-2 hours of bedtime for 14 consecutive days. Participants will receive a study package containing the intervention (sweet cherry juice) by mail, and they will consume the juice at home. Participants will receive a 10-minute phone call from a trained Research Assistant before they start the study to explain the study procedures. The study will capture objective and subjective sleep measures, as well as subjective sleepiness and well-being measures. Objective sleep measures will be obtained from three weeks of actigraphy (sleep/wake activity monitoring): one week of data collection before the intervention (baseline) and two weeks during the intervention period. Subjective sleep measures will be collected using a daily sleep/wake diary and a set of questionnaires. The data from the sleep/wake diary will be collected each day for a total of three weeks: one week of data collection before the intervention (baseline) and two weeks during the intervention period. The data from the questionnaires will be collected once at baseline and once at the end of the intervention period. Daily adherence to the intervention will be assessed using the sleep/wake diary, and overall adherence will be assessed using a questionnaire at the end of the trial.
Sponsors
Massey University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Crossover
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
25 Years to 64 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
• Living in Aotearoa New Zealand. • Being aged 25-64 years. • Currently experiencing mild-moderate insomnia symptoms. • Other than insomnia symptoms, being in good overall health.
Exclusion criteria
• Having previously consumed juice products (e.g., cherry, kiwifruit) with the aim of improving sleep. • Currently receiving any specific treatment (including medications, nutraceuticals and/or supplements) for sleep improvement at the time of recruitment and/or planning to take any in the next 4 months. • Currently consuming more than three standard drinks of alcohol per day. • Currently consuming more than 400mg of caffeine per day. • Currently consuming nicotine. • Currently diagnosed with a sleep disorder other than insomnia (e.g., obstructive sleep apnoea, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movements, narcolepsy). • Currently diagnosed with a health condition that may affect sleep (e.g., respiratory disorders, cardiovascular disease, neurological conditions, and psychiatric disorders). • Currently taking prescription or over-the-counter medications that are known to affect sleep. • Having a BMI of 30 or greater, or less than 18. • Being a shift worker. • Having travelled overseas within the last 4 weeks at the time of recruitment and/or planning to travel overseas in the next 4 months. • Currently being pregnant or breastfeeding, or planning to be in the next 4 months. • Regularly doing intensive physical activity within three hours before bedtime. • Being an extreme morning or extreme evening chronotype. Chronotype will be measured using the Horne-Ostberg Morningness Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). An extreme morning chronotype will be defined as having an MEQ score >= 70. An extreme evening chronotype will be defined as having an MEQ score <= 30.
Outcome results
None listed