Can a massive dose of creatine cure sleep deprivation? I gave it a try

To ingest 30 grams of creatine naturally would involve wolfing down six to seven kilograms of raw beef. Want it cooked? It’ll take up to 10kg: that’s either 30 steaks or 44 burgers in one sitting.This made me wince as I struggled to consume all 24 of the radically large pills I’d bought, each containing 1.25 grams of the powdered supplement.Why put myself through this? On a birthday trip to Vienna, I was sorely sleep-deprived.High doses of creatine (about 25 to 30 grams) could help with sleeplessness, a study has foundOptimum NutritionDetermined to feel better, I came across a hopeful study. In 2024, researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) in Germany asked 15 adults aged 20 to 28 to stay awake for 21 hours. They then gave them a large dose of creatine (about 25 to 30 grams) and tested their cognitive performance. Astonishingly, on some tests, including short-term memory and processing capacity, they scored higher than when well-rested. Dr Ali Gordji-Nejad, who ran the study, says: “The results suggest a single but high dose of creatine enhances thinking capacity and causes changes in the brain’s energy reserves during sleep deprivation.” The findings indicated a potential game changer for those who have to keep sharp with little sleep: surgeons, soldiers, new parents and so on.To most creatine users, the size of this dose would be considered ridiculous. Bodybuilders usually draw the line at 20 to 25 grams for just a few days. They call this the “loading phase” — the period when their muscles swell dramatically due to creatine molecules pulling in water. They can then maintain this bulk by taking five grams a day. The recommendation for normal people is only two to five grams a day. The results of the sleep deprivation study make more sense once you understand how creatine works in the system. Your body naturally produces one or two grams of creatine every day. This is responsible for helping to recycle ATP [adenosine triphosphate] — the molecule we use for fuel. Our natural creatine stores sit at about 70 per cent, so by topping them up, we use our bodily fuel more effectively. Taking large amounts of creatine could help with productivity whilst sleepless, a study has foundPA ArchiveWhile five grams per day is considered the optimal dose to saturate our muscles, studies such as this one in Germany have been exploring larger doses that are needed to pass the blood-brain barrier and saturate our brains. Growing up with family members fond of homeopathy, I have always been highly suspicious of “powerful” supplements that aren’t dangerous at any dose. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), creatine is the safest sports supplement ever tested, so it came as a happy shock when my fog suddenly lifted only a couple of hours after taking the pills. Read MoreI promise I am not being sponsored by a creatine brand, but it felt like I’d been given a “get out of jail free” card. I had absolutely no sense of tiredness and felt far more mentally agile than usual. But before readers purchase barrels of creatine in preparation for weekday benders, be warned: there are unpleasant side effects for such large doses and it is unequivocally not a replacement for sleep.Neither The Standard or I endorse its use in this way. Although it might make you feel better as a one-off now and again, creatine does not prevent other negative effects of sleep deprivation, including a build-up of metabolic waste, impaired memory consolidation and hormone imbalances. The powder also tastes how I imagine chalk does. Yet if the price of occasionally buying a few hours of borrowed wakefulness is mega-dosing on creatine, I am glad to have the option — and gladder still to sleep when I can.