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Study summary · Sleep, circadian rhythm & stress

What nutritional interventions, foods, beverages, and supplements can improve sleep quality and quantity in athletes?

In one paragraph

Tart Cherry Sleep Extract, a review (Nutrients 2021, PMID 34068512) — however, more research is needed to determine optimal dose, source, and timing for athletes. No numeric effect size is reported for Tart Cherry Sleep Extract in the source abstract.

Source: Nutrients 2021, PMID 34068512 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: low

Nutrients · 2021 · PMID 34068512 · DOI 10.3390/nu13051586

Plain-English summary written and published by Magellan Longevity · medical review by Gabriel Radu, DO (physiatrist, NPI 1376861765). We summarize what the paper reported — we did not run this study.

The takeaway

Certain nutritional interventions like tart cherry juice, herbal supplements, kiwifruit, and protein can improve sleep in athletes and healthy adults, but more specific research is needed for athletic populations.

The question

What nutritional interventions, foods, beverages, and supplements can improve sleep quality and quantity in athletes?

What they tested

Nutrition, including specific foods, beverages, and supplements, can improve sleep quality and quantity in athletes.

How they did it

This narrative review used a semi-systematic approach to search six databases (PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, and Google Scholar) from inception to November 2020. The search focused on articles relevant to athletes and sporting environments. Due to limited athlete-specific research, inclusion criteria were expanded to include studies on nutritional interventions for sleep in otherwise healthy adults.

What they found

High glycemic index carbohydrates showed small benefits for sleep. Tart cherry juice promoted sleep quantity. Herbal supplements enhanced sleep quality. Kiwifruit and protein interventions improved both sleep quality and quantity.

What it means

Nutritional interventions are effective for improving sleep quality and quantity. However, more research is needed to determine optimal dose, source, and timing for athletes.

Limitations

The review noted a paucity of sleep nutrition research specifically in the athlete population, necessitating the inclusion of studies on healthy adults. Further research is required to establish appropriate dosing, sources, and timing for athletes.

“Tart cherry juice can promote sleep quantity”— from the published abstract, Nutrients 2021

The paper at a glance

Magellan’s evidence label	promotes sleep quantity (our label for this citation — see PubMed for the paper’s own title and authors)
Journal	Nutrients
Year	2021
PMID	34068512 ↗
DOI	10.3390/nu13051586 ↗
Topic	Sleep, circadian rhythm & stress

Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗

Where Magellan uses this paper

This citation sits behind the evidence grade on the pages below. Grades are set from the research and are independent of affiliate commissions.

Tart Cherry Sleep Extract

In small randomized and crossover trials, tart cherry juice or concentrate has modestly increased total sleep time (by more than an hour of objectively measured sleep in one pilot), sleep efficiency and self-reported sleep quality, including in older adults with insomnia, and narrative and network-meta-analytic…

Tart Cherry Sleep Extract

Tart cherry (Prunus cerasus), most commonly the Montmorency variety, is a fruit consumed as juice…

Check price on Amazon ↗

Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.

Molecules & mechanisms in this paper

Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.

Sleep

Cite this page

These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.

APA

Magellan Longevity. (2026). What nutritional interventions, foods, beverages, and supplements can improve sleep quality and quantity in athletes? [Plain-English summary of Nutrients 2021, PMID 34068512, DOI 10.3390/nu13051586]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s118.html

BibTeX

@misc{magellan_s118,
  title        = {What nutritional interventions, foods, beverages, and supplements can improve sleep quality and quantity in athletes?},
  author       = {{Magellan Longevity}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s118.html}},
  note         = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 34068512; DOI 10.3390/nu13051586; Nutrients 2021. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
  urldate      = {2026-08-11}
}

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How this summary was made. Every section above restates what the published abstract of PMID 34068512 reports — the question, the design, the numbers, the authors’ own conclusion and their stated limitations. We do not add claims the paper did not make, and we keep negative and no-effect findings in. Magellan’s evidence grades are set from research like this and never from affiliate commissions.

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Educational information, not medical advice. This is a plain-English summary of published research; it is not a treatment recommendation and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual studies can be wrong, and a single paper rarely settles a question. Talk to your physician before acting on any research, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.