Creatine: the brain fuel you need when sleep deprived

Written by: Diego A. Bonilla, Diego Morales & Jeffrey Stout

IN THIS ARTICLE

1. Creatine and Cognitive Function
2. Why Sleep Deprivation Hurts the Brain
3. Study Design and Findings
4. Comparing Doses
5. Immediate vs. Long-Term Benefits
6. Implications and Future Directions
7. Conclusion

We all know that foggy-headed feeling that sets in after a poor night’s sleep. Sleep deprivation is increasingly common in our fast-paced world, and it can undermine our cognitive function, mood, and overall health. But what if there was a way to lessen some of these negative effects?

Creatine and Cognitive Function

A recent study in Scientific Reports [1] investigated whether creatine supplementation could help counteract the cognitive impairments caused by sleep deprivation. Creatine is a natural substance found in muscles, the brain, and other tissues that have high energy demands. It also appears in foods like meat and fish. While most people know creatine as a sports performance supplement, this new research highlights its potential to support brain function when we’re short on sleep.

Why Sleep Deprivation Hurts the Brain

When we don’t get enough sleep, levels of crucial brain chemicals—such as phosphocreatine, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and glutamate—can shift. These chemicals are key players in energy metabolism and neuronal signaling, and their imbalance contributes to the mental fog that comes with sleep deprivation. That’s where creatine steps in: it can buffer high energy demands and reduce the impact of stressful conditions.

Taken from Pexels under Creative Commons Zero license.

Study Design and Findings

In the study by Gordji-Nejad et al. (2024) [1], participants were split into two groups. One group received a high dose of creatine (0.35 g/kg), while the other took a placebo during a 21-hour period of partial sleep deprivation. Researchers used 31P-MRS and ¹H-MRS to monitor brain chemistry, and they tested participants’ cognitive function with standard assessments.

They found that creatine supplementation helped sustain normal phosphocreatine and ATP levels in the brain, even when participants were severely sleep-deprived. Creatine users also performed better on tasks measuring working memory and processing speed than those who received the placebo.

Figure 1. Study design. Subjects were administered creatine at 8:30 p.m. in one session and placebo in another, spaced at least five days in random order. Seven participants completed the verum and eight the placebo as the first condition. Cognitive and metabolic parameters were acquired in four runs, baseline starting at 6 p.m., the other at 0 a.m., 2 a.m., and 4 a.m. Each session took 1 h:35 min and comprised two ³¹P-MRS-, three ¹H-MRS measurements, followed by fatigue scores, psychomotor vigilance tests (PVT), and other cognitive tasks (Cog.Test). Taken from Gordji-Nejad et al. (2024) [1] under Creative Commons 4.0 license.

Comparing Doses

This study used a relatively high dose of creatine—0.35 g/kg. For someone weighing 70 kg (154 lbs), that’s about 24.5 g of creatine. In contrast, many sports-related protocols recommend about 1 g per 10 kg of body weight (7 g for a 70 kg individual). This means the typical sports dose is roughly 28% of the dose used in the study, aligning with discussions that the brain may require a higher dose than skeletal muscle [2].

Immediate vs. Long-Term Benefits

These findings are promising, indicating that a single high dose of creatine could help offset some cognitive decline associated with sleep deprivation. They also build on earlier animal [3] and human [4,5] research showing creatine’s positive influence on sleep and cognition. In fact, other clinical evidence suggests creatine supplementation can significantly improve working memory and intelligence in healthy people [6,7].

This has potential benefits for different groups, including students facing all-nighters, shift workers dealing with irregular hours, and older adults who experience age-related sleep issues. In one recommendation, Potter and Wood (2020) [8] suggest shift workers take at least 0.1 g of creatine monohydrate per kg of body weight each day when sleep is limited.

Taken from Pixabay under Content License.

Conclusion
Creatine supplementation shows promise as a strategy for reducing the cognitive toll of sleep deprivation. Of course, the best approach is still to focus on healthy sleep habits to support optimal brain function and overall wellness. Creatine might serve as a helpful backup plan when ideal sleep schedules aren’t possible. More research is needed to confirm these effects and to understand how different populations might benefit.

References

1. Gordji-Nejad, A., Matusch, A., Kleedörfer, S., Jayeshkumar Patel, H., Drzezga, A., Elmenhorst, D., … & Bauer, A. (2024). Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation. Scientific reports, 14(1), 4937.
2. Antonio, J., Brown, A. F., Candow, D. G., Chilibeck, P. D., Ellery, S. J., Forbes, S. C., … & Ziegenfuss, T. N. (2025). Part II. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show?. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 22(1), 2441760.
3. Dworak, M., Kim, T., Mccarley, R. W., & Basheer, R. (2017). Creatine supplementation reduces sleep need and homeostatic sleep pressure in rats. Journal of sleep research, 26(3), 377-385.
4. McMorris, T., Harris, R. C., Howard, A. N., Langridge, G., Hall, B., Corbett, J., … & Hodgson, C. (2007). Creatine supplementation, sleep deprivation, cortisol, melatonin and behavior. Physiology & behavior, 90(1), 21-28.
5. Aguiar Bonfim Cruz, A. J., Brooks, S. J., Kleinkopf, K., Brush, C. J., Irwin, G. L., Schwartz, M. G., … & Brown, A. F. (2024). Creatine Improves Total Sleep Duration Following Resistance Training Days versus Non-Resistance Training Days among Naturally Menstruating Females. Nutrients, 16(16), 2772.
6. Rae, C., Digney, A. L., McEwan, S. R., & Bates, T. C. (2003). Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double–blind, placebo–controlled, cross–over trial. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 270(1529), 2147-2150.
7. Prokopidis, K., Giannos, P., Triantafyllidis, K. K., Kechagias, K. S., Forbes, S. C., & Candow, D. G. (2023). Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Reviews, 81(4), 416-427.
8. Potter, G. D., & Wood, T. R. (2020). The future of shift work: circadian biology meets personalised medicine and behavioural science. Frontiers in Nutrition, 7, 515067.

Figures

• https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-red-long-sleeve-shirt-sitting-on-chair-while-leaning-on-laptop-3791134/
• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54249-9/figures/1
• https://pixabay.com/photos/people-transportation-system-street-3181819

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