Taking a large dose of creatine might help young healthy people think more clearly and react faster when they haven't slept for a whole night, with benefits starting about 3-4 hours after taking it and lasting most of the night.
Scientific Claim
A single high dose of creatine (0.35 g/kg) administered orally may improve cognitive performance and processing speed during 21 hours of sleep deprivation in young healthy adults, with effects becoming detectable approximately 3.5 hours after administration and lasting up to 9 hours.
Source Excerpt
“Our results show that creatine induces changes in PCr/Pi, ATP, tCr/tNAA, prevents a drop in pH level, and improves cognitive performance and processing speed. These outcomes suggest that a high single dose of creatine can partially reverse metabolic alterations and fatigue-related cognitive deterioration.”
Evidence from Studies
Supporting Studies
Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation
This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial with 15 young healthy adults demonstrated that a single 0.35 g/kg creatine dose improved cognitive performance during sleep deprivation compared to placebo, with effects observed from 3.5 hours post-administration through 9 hours.