i had mentioned this to a friend of mine who did a little research on the web about this fact and found that there is a big deal about cherries and melatonin. a simple google search gave me a site with this quote (source choosecherries.com):
Cherries are one of the few known food sources of melatonin, a potent antioxidant produced naturally by the body’s pineal gland that helps regulate biorhythm and natural sleep patterns. Scientists have found melatonin-rich tart cherries (commonly enjoyed as dried, frozen, juice or concentrate) contain more of this powerful antioxidant than what is normally produced by the body. Eating cherries can be a natural way to boost your body’s melatonin levels to hasten sleep and ease jet lag.
i’ll have to give this a try when i fly across time zones next time. another article at msnbc.com says the same thing. follow this link for the nutrition four-one-one: www.nutritiondata.com/facts/.
as for regular sleep patterns, i am planning on trying this out for a while to see how my body adjusts.