The Study
Effects of Creatine Monohydrate Loading on Sleep Metrics, Physical Performance, Cognitive Function, and Recovery in Physically Active Men: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial
This study is like a fair test where 14 guys took creatine for a week, then took a fake pill for another week, and we saw what changed. It shows that creatine might help them feel like they slept better and think faster, but it doesn't prove it works the same way for everyone else.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested if taking a daily creatine powder for a week helps people feel more rested, think faster, run better, and feel less sore after exercise.
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 580 / 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 — feeling better rested, thinking faster, running farther, and being less sore after exercise are meaningful improvements for athletes and active people.
- 2After taking creatine: people felt their sleep was 0.81 standard deviations better (p=0.009), they caught 0.77 more digits per minute on a test (p=0.013), ran 0.88 times farther in total (p<0.001), and felt 0.59 less muscle soreness (p=0.046).
- 3Their actual sleep time, tiredness, and fatigue didn't change.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2025
Authors
Khouloud Ben Maaoui, Slaheddine Delleli, Nourhène Mahdi, Arwa Jebabli, J. Del Coso, Hamdi Chtourou, L. P. Ardigò, I. Ouergui
Related Content
Claims (6)
Creatine supplementation increases brain energy metabolism, leading to improved cognitive performance and decreased mental fatigue.
In physically active young men, taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for 7 days increases reported sleep quality and delays bedtime by about 30 minutes, but does not change total sleep time, sleep efficiency, or how long it takes to fall asleep.
In physically active young men, taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for 7 days improves performance on the digit cancellation test, reflecting faster attention and processing speed, with no change in mood or emotional state.
In physically active young men, taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for 7 days increases the total and best distance covered in a high-intensity shuttle run test, with no change in perceived exertion, fatigue index, or performance decrement.
In physically active young men, taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for 7 days reduces self-reported muscle soreness after exercise, as measured by the Hooper questionnaire, but does not change other recovery measures such as perceived recovery status or delayed onset muscle soreness over 72 hours.
Taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for 7 days does not change measurable sleep metrics like total sleep time, sleep efficiency, or sleep latency in physically active young men, but these individuals report feeling they slept better.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.