Females exhibit greater cognitive protection than males following a single 0.2 g/kg creatine dose during sleep deprivation, with measurable improvements of up to 18% in language processing speed and 12% in logical reasoning, indicating sex-specific metabolic responses to creatine under conditions of energy stress.

Females have lower natural levels of creatine in the brain due to hormonal differences and genetic factors, so when they are sleep-deprived and their brains need more energy, they absorb more creatine from the blood into brain cells. This extra creatine helps make more ATP, the energy fuel for brain cells, especially in areas that handle logic and language. Males have higher baseline creatine levels, so the same dose does not boost their energy supply as much.