Most people have heard of taking creatine to help build muscle. Powerlifters often sing the praises of creatine while lifting, and there’s solid evidence to back it up. Researchers found that supplementing creatine monohydrate while progressive resistance training increases muscle strength in as little as two weeks, while promoting a more significant reduction in body fat percentage compared to just resistance training alone. For some people, it might take a little longer to see results.
In additional studies on the benefits of creatine, researchers are exploring how creatine impacts sleep deprivation and brain performance, highlighting how this popular gym supplement isn’t just useful for swelling those muscles. Let’s check out the research.
The growing research on creatine, sleep, and sports performance
In another small study of elite rugby players, those who were sleep deprived and didn’t take creatine experienced a significant drop in skill performance accuracy on both the dominant and non-dominant passing sides. However, the rugby players who took creatine at 50 or 100 mg/kg didn’t experience this same drop in performance, showing that the creatine helped combat the negative effects on performance from the lack of sleep.
The growing research on creatine, sleep, and brain power
There are multiple examples of studies on creatine and sleep deprivation. For instance, in a study published in the journal Psychopharmacology, the researchers found that after 24 hours of sleep deprivation, supplementing with creatine yielded a positive effect on mood state and tasks that placed a heavy stress on the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
In another study published in the journal Scientific Reports, participants were placed in two groups: group one took a high single dose of creatine (0.35g/kg), and group two took a placebo within a 21-hour time period. The participants performed cognitive tests while sleep-deprived at varying timelines following the creatine supplementation.
Results
The researchers concluded that creatine is a suitable supplement for reducing the negative effects of sleep deprivation. The results showed the following:
- The group that took the high dose of creatine was able to sustain normal levels of ATP and phosphocreatine in the brain even while being sleep deprived.
- Creatine also prevents a drop in pH level and enhances cognitive performance and processing speed. These benefits continued even after 21 hours of sleep deprivation and were even enhanced beyond a well-rested level in some cases.
- A high single dose of creatine could partially reverse metabolic alterations and fatigue-related cognitive deterioration.
The takeaway
If you’re facing a cognitively challenging day ahead and you’re working without enough hours of sleep, this research shows that a single high dose of creatine could help boost your cognitive performance and how quickly your brain processes information.
