Creatine for sleep deprivation? What's behind the white powder for improved focus?

White Powder Against Sleep Deprivation

Didn't get much sleep? No problem, first a can of Rush – the 200 mg of caffeine will surely get you back on track.

But if caffeine isn't your thing, we naturally have another solution ready. It also starts with a "C" and ends with an "e", at least in English spelling. A little hint: it's not cocaine. We're talking about...drum roll...creatine!

Yes, you read that right: This white powder not only gives your muscles more power, but can (similar to the other white powder mentioned earlier) also improve your mental performance after a sleepless night – and that even with a single dose!

A study published in 2024 by Gordji-Nejad and colleagues in the journal "Scientific Reports" investigated the influence of a single dose of creatine on cognitive performance during sleep deprivation. Interesting side note: The scientists, just like us at WEIDER, relied on the proven Creapure® raw material quality. The results can only be good!

15 female subjects were given a single dose of creatine or a placebo in the early evening and were subsequently not only forced to stay awake (for a total of 21 hours), but also had to complete a variety of cognitive tests at various measurement points (e.g., regarding logic and reaction time) and undergo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (for non-invasive measurement of chemical changes in the brain).

The administered creatine was bioavailable, as an increased measured concentration of cerebral creatine could show. As an explanation for the unexpectedly efficient uptake of creatine into the neurons (nerve cells), the authors cite the combination of an increased energy demand of the neurons with a simultaneously increased extracellular creatine availability (due to the single administration).

The administration of creatine alleviated some of the negative chemical changes associated with sleep deprivation and counteracted the decrease in neuronal creatine concentration. In addition, creatine was able to halt the decline in cognitive performance associated with sleep deprivation (e.g., decreased vigilance (attention), impaired short-term memory).

While the peak of increased performance during sleep deprivation was reached four hours after creatine intake, the effect lasted for a total of up to nine hours.

In a nutshell:

“These outcomes suggest that a high single dose of creatine can partially reverse metabolic alterations and fatigue-related cognitive deterioration. […] In conclusion, administering a high dose of creatine has been shown to reverse partially cellular stress-induced effects caused by sleep deprivation.”

The small catch: The amount needed to achieve this effect is admittedly very high at 0.35 g/kg body weight. A person weighing 70 kg would have to consume a full 24.5 g to benefit from creatine intake when sleep deprived. But: It's still cheaper and harmless to health than the other white powder. And legal, to boot!

Anyone who takes creatine regularly, as we at WEIDER would recommend to everyone, does not have to resort to such a megadose in the event of a short night. Long-term, regular intake leads to increased creatine concentrations in the central nervous system, so why wait until you've had a really bad, or rather, little sleep? As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Otherwise, in this case, the statement "more is more" actually applies – so if the night was not very restful, just make sure that the measuring spoon is particularly heaped the next morning.