{"id":409933,"date":"2026-02-05T20:51:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T20:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/409933\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T20:51:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T20:51:26","slug":"creatine-could-boost-cognitive-function-recent-study-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/409933\/","title":{"rendered":"Creatine Could Boost Cognitive Function, Recent Study Suggests"},"content":{"rendered":"

It can be hard to think clearly after a bad night\u2019s sleep<\/a>. And, although nothing will replace a high-quality snooze, new research suggests taking a particular supplement<\/a> may help you release some of that mental fog. <\/p>\n

Creatine<\/a> is usually used to boost muscle performance, but now it’s being linked with being able to think clearly after a poor night of rest. Here\u2019s what the study found, plus what a neurologist wants you to know. <\/p>\n

Meet the experts: Vernon Williams, MD<\/a>, neurologist and founding director of the Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles. W. Christopher Winter<\/a>, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged<\/a> podcast.<\/p>\n

What is creatine?<\/p>\n

Creatine is a compound that\u2019s usually found in your muscles and brain, per the Mayo Clinic<\/a>. Your body\u2019s liver, pancreas, and kidneys make about a gram of creatine a day, but you can also get creatine from eating seafood and meat. <\/p>\n

You can also take creatine in supplement form. People tend to do this to help them build muscle and lower the risk of injury, according to the Mayo Clinic. <\/p>\n

What did the study find?<\/p>\n

The study, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports<\/a> in February 2024, had 15 healthy people in their 20s stay in a lab overnight for two nights, separated by at least five days. During those stays, they were kept awake all night. <\/p>\n

During one night, participants were given 0.35 grams of creatine per kilogram of body weight; on another night, they were given a placebo. The participants were also asked to do cognitive tasks before they took the creatine or placebo and at three other points during the night. <\/p>\n

The researchers discovered that three hours after taking creatine, the participants had positive changes in their brain metabolism and cognitive performance on tests. (They especially did well with processing capacity and short-term memory<\/a>.) This impact peaked four hours after they took the supplement, but lasted over nine hours. <\/p>\n

The researchers concluded that taking a single, high dose of creatine can \u201cpartially reverse\u201d some impacts of sleep deprivation. <\/p>\n

How could creatine boost cognitive performance?<\/p>\n

The study didn\u2019t look at why this happens\u2014it simply found a link. However, there are some theories. <\/p>\n

“The brain is a massive consumer of oxygen and energy, and creatine seems to help with the process of energy and nutrient utilization,” explains W. Christopher Winter<\/a>, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged<\/a> podcast. “This can help reduce the negative effects that sleep deprivation has on cognitive processing speeds.”<\/p>\n

Creatine appears to “mitigate cognitive decline related to fatigue by supporting the brain\u2019s energy metabolism,\u201d explains Vernon Williams, MD<\/a>, a neurologist and founding director of the Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles. To put it into layman’s terms, creatine may help the brain get key nutrients faster.<\/p>\n

This is a shift from typical creatine usage, though, notes Winter. “Many people have thought about creatine supplementation as a relatively ‘long term’ effect\u2014like building muscle,” he says. “This study suggests that the effects of creatine could be much faster than originally thought.”<\/p>\n

What are the other benefits of creatine?<\/p>\n

A range of research has found that creatine may have several potential benefits for your health. Those include:<\/p>\n

Increasing lean body mass Boosting energy levels Enhancing muscle recovery Improving cognitive function Curbing the effects of short-term sleep deprivation Keeping your hormone levels consistent<\/p>\n

A January study<\/a> even found that creatine might be a good additional treatment for depression<\/a>, on top of talk therapy<\/a> and any other treatments that your mental healthcare provider suggests. <\/p>\n

Should women take creatine?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s crucial to talk to a medical provider before adding any supplement to your routine to make sure it\u2019s right for your needs. However, research suggests that creatine may benefit women<\/a>, so it\u2019s definitely worth considering. <\/p>\n

Check out Women’s Health’s favorite creatine powders below:<\/p>\n

Best Creatine Supplements\"Chevron\"Chevron\"Creatine<\/a>Thorne Creatine MonohydrateCredit: Thorne<\/p>\n

This powder is free of gluten and dairy. It\u2019s also NSF certified, meaning it\u2019s tested for the presence of banned substances before it goes up for sale. The powder is colorless and odorless, so you can mix it with just about anything.<\/p>\n

\"Creatine<\/a>NOW Creatine Monohydrate PowderCredit: NOW Sports<\/p>\n

Now\u2019s creatine powder is free of artificial colors and flavors, and uses nano-particle nutrients to help fuel your day. It\u2019s also unflavored, so you can blend it into just about anything. Now is third-party tested to make sure no harmful ingredients end up in your creatine powder.<\/p>\n

\"Creatine<\/a>BULKSUPPLEMENTS.COM Creatine Monohydrate Powder Credit: BulkSupplements.com<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking to save on cost, consider this option from BulkSupplements. It\u2019s third-party tested for extra ingredients and is unflavored. It\u2019s vegan-friendly and gluten-free.<\/p>\n

\"On\"Creatine<\/a>BARE PERFORMANCE NUTRITION Creatine Monohydrate <\/p>\n

Now 14% Off<\/p>\n

Credit: Bare Performance Nutrition<\/p>\n

This powder features Creapure, the most widely studied type of creatine. It\u2019s third-party tested for impurities, too. The powder is unflavored, making it a great addition to smoothies and shakes.<\/p>\n

\"Klean<\/a>Klean ATHLETE Klean CreatineCredit: Klean Athlete<\/p>\n

Klean Athlete Klean Creatine is NSF Certified for Sport, meaning it\u2019s been tested for safety. The powder is GMO-free and doesn\u2019t have any artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. Just mix it with water, pre-workout, or your go-to smoothie and enjoy.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men\u2019s Health, Women\u2019s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master\u2019s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It can be hard to think clearly after a bad night\u2019s sleep. And, although nothing will replace a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":409934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[11875,102,6636,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-409933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-core","tag-health","tag-nutrition","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/409934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}