Top Line  

Creatine supplementation, commonly known for its muscle-enhancing properties, is gaining increasing attention for its potential to improve cognitive performance during periods of stress, such as sleep deprivation. This review explores the evidence that creatine can improve cognitive function, mood, and psychomotor skills after sleep deprivation.

Why It Matters  

Sleep deprivation is a widespread issue that impacts cognitive performance, decision-making, and emotional well-being. Many professions, from healthcare to the military, require alertness and cognitive function even when sleep is compromised. Identifying effective, non-pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate the effects of sleep deprivation is crucial. Creatine, an affordable and widely available supplement, offers a promising solution for combating cognitive impairments due to sleep deprivation.

Key Takeaways  

1. Cognitive and Psychomotor Performance: Creatine supplementation helps reduce the adverse effects of sleep deprivation on tasks that require sustained attention and psychomotor skills, such as balance and reaction time, by supporting prefrontal cortex functions (McMorris et al., 2006; McMorris et al., 2007).
2. Central Executive Functioning: Creatine enhances higher-order cognitive processes, such as decision-making and problem-solving, during prolonged sleep deprivation (McMorris et al., 2007).
3. Mood and Perceived Effort: The supplement improves mood and decreases the perceived effort of completing tasks after sleep loss, indicating a positive effect on mental well-being (McMorris et al., 2006; McMorris et al., 2007).
4. Brain Energy Metabolism: Creatine enhances brain energy metabolism, supporting cognitive performance by increasing brain creatine levels (Dolan et al., 2018; Forbes et al., 2022; Roschel et al., 2021).
5. Reduction in Sleep Need: Animal studies suggest creatine may decrease sleep needs and reduce sleep pressure, potentially offering cognitive benefits during sleep deprivation (Dworak et al., 2017).
6. No Benefits in Non-Deprived States: Creatine’s cognitive benefits seem specific to stress conditions, as no significant effects were observed in well-rested individuals (Rawson et al., 2008).
7. In general, aim for five grams of creatine per day for optimal benefits.

Introduction  

Creatine is a compound naturally found in the body that is crucial in energy metabolism, particularly in muscles. However, recent research suggests that creatine may also offer cognitive benefits, particularly under stressors like sleep deprivation. This review draws on key studies and their findings to examine whether creatine supplementation can enhance cognitive performance and mood state after sleep deprivation.

Cognitive and Psychomotor Performance  

Sleep deprivation is known to impair cognitive and psychomotor performance, especially in tasks involving the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making, attention, and motor skills. Studies by McMorris et al. (2006, 2007) demonstrate that creatine supplementation significantly mitigates these effects, particularly in tasks like random movement generation, choice reaction time, and balance. In their 2006 study, participants who received creatine performed significantly better on random movement tasks after 24 hours of sleep deprivation than those who did not receive the supplement.

The 2007 follow-up study corroborated these findings, showing improved choice reaction time and balance tasks. These results suggest that creatine’s effect on brain energy metabolism may help the prefrontal cortex continue functioning more effectively even under conditions of cognitive stress.

Central Executive Functioning  

Higher-order cognitive functions, such as planning, problem-solving, and decision-making, are significantly impaired by sleep deprivation. Creatine supports these central executive tasks, especially during prolonged sleep deprivation. In a study by McMorris et al. (2007), participants awake for 36 hours performed better on complex executive tasks, such as the Tower of London task (a test of planning ability), when supplemented with creatine. These findings are significant because they highlight creatine’s role in preserving more advanced cognitive processes, even when the brain is under extreme stress.

Mood State and Perceived Effort  

Creatine supplementation not only improves cognitive performance but also positively impacts mood and the perceived effort of completing tasks after sleep deprivation. According to McMorris et al. (2006), participants reported better mood states and a lower perceived effort when completing cognitive tasks after sleep deprivation when using creatine compared to placebo. This suggests that creatine may have a broader impact on mental well-being, enhancing cognitive performance and helping individuals feel less strained and more positive while completing tasks under stress.

In another study, McMorris et al. (2007) found similar improvements in mood. They reduced perceived effort, reinforcing that creatine supplementation can ease both the mental and emotional toll of sleep deprivation.

Brain Energy Metabolism  

The beneficial effects of creatine on cognitive performance during sleep deprivation are primarily attributed to its role in enhancing brain energy metabolism. Creatine produces adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy currency of cells, including neurons. Studies by Dolan et al. (2018), Forbes et al. (2022), and Roschel et al. (2021) have demonstrated that creatine supplementation increases brain creatine levels, which enhances the brain's ability to produce ATP during energy-demanding situations, such as sleep deprivation.

Dolan et al. (2018) showed that creatine supplementation increased brain creatine levels, particularly in brain regions involved in cognition, such as the prefrontal cortex. Forbes et al. (2022) further found that these elevated creatine levels improved cognitive function in older adults, who are more susceptible to cognitive decline.

Roschel et al. (2021) reviewed the role of creatine as a neuroprotective agent, highlighting its ability to support cognitive function by preserving brain energy metabolism under stress. These findings collectively suggest that creatine’s enhanced brain energy metabolism is a crucial mechanism behind its cognitive benefits under sleep-deprived conditions.

Reduction in Sleep Need and Homeostatic Sleep Pressure  

In animal studies, creatine has been shown to reduce the total amount of sleep required and lower homeostatic sleep pressure, which accumulates during wakefulness and signals the need for sleep. Dworak et al. (2017) found that creatine supplementation decreased sleep time in rodents without compromising cognitive performance, suggesting that creatine may help maintain cognitive function with less sleep. This reduction in sleep needs could benefit individuals who face chronic sleep deprivation or must function on limited sleep in high-demand environments.

No Significant Effects in Non-Sleep Deprived Conditions  

Interestingly, creatine does not seem to provide cognitive benefits in well-rested individuals. Rawson et al. (2008) found no significant improvements in cognitive performance among young adults who were not sleep-deprived, even after creatine supplementation. This finding indicates that creatine’s cognitive benefits are most evident under stress conditions like sleep deprivation rather than in baseline cognitive performance.

Conclusion  

Creatine supplementation shows significant potential to enhance cognitive performance, mood, and psychomotor skills during periods of sleep deprivation. By supporting brain energy metabolism, creatine helps mitigate the cognitive decline typically associated with sleep loss. These benefits appear most pronounced during stress conditions, making creatine a promising intervention for individuals in high-stakes professions who face regular sleep deprivation. However, its benefits do not extend to well-rested individuals, suggesting that creatine’s role in cognitive enhancement is stress-dependent. Future research should continue exploring creatine’s potential as a non-pharmaceutical solution for sleep deprivation-related cognitive decline.

References:

1. McMorris, T., Harris, R., Swain, J., Corbett, J., Collard, K., Dyson, R., Dye, L., Hodgson, C., & Draper, N. (2006). Effect of creatine supplementation and sleep deprivation, with mild exercise, on cognitive and psychomotor performance, mood state, and plasma concentrations of catecholamines and cortisol. Psychopharmacology, 185, 93-103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-005-0269-z.
2. McMorris, T., Harris, R., Howard, A., Langridge, G., Hall, B., Corbett, J., Dicks, M., & Hodgson, C. (2007). Creatine supplementation, sleep deprivation, cortisol, melatonin and behavior. Physiology & Behavior, 90, 21-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.08.024.
3. Rawson, E., Lieberman, H., Walsh, T., Zuber, S., Harhart, J., & Matthews, T. (2008). Creatine supplementation does not improve cognitive function in young adults. Physiology & Behavior, 95, 130-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.05.009.
4. Dolan, E., Gualano, B., & Rawson, E. (2018). Beyond muscle: the effects of creatine supplementation on brain creatine, cognitive processing, and traumatic brain injury. European Journal of Sport Science, 19, 1 - 14. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2018.1500644.
5. Forbes, S., Cordingley, D., Cornish, S., Gualano, B., Roschel, H., Ostojić, S., Rawson, E., Roy, B., Prokopidis, K., Giannos, P., & Candow, D. (2022). Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Brain Function and Health. Nutrients, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14050921.
6. Roschel, H., Gualano, B., Ostojic, S., & Rawson, E. (2021). Creatine Supplementation and Brain Health. Nutrients, 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020586.
7. Dworak, M., Kim, T., McCarley, R., & Basheer, R. (2017). Creatine supplementation reduces sleep need and homeostatic sleep pressure in rats. Journal of Sleep Research, 26. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12523.

Jon Esposito, PhD, CSCS, CISSN, USAW