The Little-Known Berry That’s Low-Calorie And Can Help You Sleep – Health Digest

The Cleveland Clinic estimates that around 50 million people throughout the United States struggle with their sleep. If you’re one of them, you may want to test out the goji berry’s reputation for yourself, although science has already done some legwork to back up anecdotal sleep-related evidence about the berry.

The sleep-inducing potential of goji berries was on full display during a 2008 randomized clinical study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. The study spent two weeks logging and analyzing participants’ sleep responses. About half of the participants drank four ounces of goji berry juice daily; the rest were given the same amount of a placebo juice.

By the study’s conclusion, approximately half of the participants who were given authentic goji berry juice said they didn’t feel as exhausted upon awakening, and around seven out of 10 told the study authors it was easier to get awake. In contrast, the participants who guzzled the placebo juice didn’t have the same sleep enhancement experiences.

Though this was just one study, it illustrates why sources like WebMD recommend trying melatonin-rich goji berries. Since melatonin is a known sleep aid, its presence in goji berries may be one of the reasons some people trust it as a solution for their sleep problems.