The Study
Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation
This study gave people a big dose of creatine and saw if it helped their brain work better when they were super tired. It’s like testing if a new snack helps you focus during a long night of homework — but only for 15 people who were already healthy and young. It shows a possible link, but doesn’t prove it works for everyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
When people stay up all night, their brains get tired and slow. This study gave one big dose of a supplement called creatine to see if it could help their brains work better.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 566 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — this means someone pulling an all-nighter might think clearer and feel less drained for up to 9 hours after taking creatine.
- 2Creatine made people 16–24% faster at thinking tasks, reduced tiredness by 8%, and helped their brain maintain energy levels and pH balance.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Scientific Reports
Year
2024
Authors
A. Gordji-Nejad, A. Matusch, Sophie Kleedörfer, Harshal Jayeshkumar Patel, A. Drzezga, D. Elmenhorst, F. Binkofski, A. Bauer
Related Content
Claims (6)
Taking creatine supplements may enhance thinking and memory in older people or those who are sleep-deprived or have cognitive difficulties, but it does not noticeably change thinking skills in healthy young adults.
After 21 hours without sleep, taking 0.35 grams of creatine per kilogram of body weight increases the ratio of creatine to N-acetyl-aspartate in a specific region of the brain by up to 6.1%, suggesting that sleep deprivation may temporarily allow more creatine to enter brain cells than under normal conditions.
After 21 hours without sleep, healthy young adults show a small decrease in brain energy reserves and a slight drop in brain pH, suggesting increased energy use and acid buildup; taking creatine before sleep deprivation partially reduces these changes.
Taking a specific dose of creatine monohydrate by mouth during a night of little sleep may help maintain faster thinking in language, logic, and math tasks, reduce feelings of tiredness, and help preserve normal energy-related chemistry in the brain.
Taking a specific dose of creatine while sleep-deprived is linked to a measurable drop in ATP-β levels in the brain, along with faster thinking and less tiredness.
Taking 0.35 grams of creatine per kilogram of body weight during sleep deprivation improves cognitive performance, with the strongest effects occurring about 4 hours after taking it and lasting up to 9 hours, likely due to sustained changes in how the brain uses energy.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.