Single-Dose Creatine Reduces Sleep Deprivation-Induced Deterioration in Cognitive Performance
Open accessAbstract
Background/Objectives: Creatine is a supplement that, beyond its physiological effects, has been shown to have positive effects on cognitive abilities. In our previous study, we showed that a single dose of 0.35 g/kg creatine induces changes in brain metabolism during sleep deprivation and reduces deterioration in cognitive performance. The present study investigates whether supplementation of a lower dose is associated with cognitive effects during sleep deprivation, focusing exclusively on cognitive performance outcomes. Methods: Twenty-nine healthy subjects performed cognitive tests at the evening baseline and 3, 5.5, and 7.5 h after receiving a single dose of creatine monohydrate (0.2 g/kg) or a placebo during a total of 21 h of sleep deprivation (SD). Results: The results show a mitigating effect of creatine on sleep deprivation-induced deterioration in logical and numerical tasks, language-related processing speed, and the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT). Compared to males, females benefit more in logic, PVT and processing speed in language and logic tasks. Conclusions: Our results show that a dose of 0.2 g/kg creatine is associated with a reduced deterioration in cognitive performance during sleep deprivation. Although the effect is less pronounced than with a high dose of 0.35 g/kg, there is still an improvement of up to 12%.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Wallimann, T., Wyss, M., Brdiczka, D., Nicolay, K., & Eppenberger, H. M. (1992) · Biochemical Journal · doi:10.1042/bj2810021 · Cited by 2,011 · see citing works
Regulation and Modulation of pH in the Brain
Chesler, M. (2003) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00010.2003 · Cited by 891 · see citing works
Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance
Alhola, P., & Polo-Kantola, P. (2007) · Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment · doi:10.2147/ndt.a930 · Cited by 869 · see citing works
Watson, D. (1988) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.55.1.128 · Cited by 475 · see citing works
Watson, D. (1988) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.55.1.128 · Cited by 323 · see citing works
Effect of creatine supplementation on body composition and performance: a meta-analysis
Branch, J. D. (2003) · International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism · doi:10.1123/ijsnem.13.2.198 · Cited by 309 · see citing works
Rae, C., Digney, A. L., McEwan, S. R., & Bates, T. C. (2003) · Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2003.2492 · Cited by 283 · see citing works
Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations
Kreider, R. B. (2003) · Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry · doi:10.1023/a:1022465203458 · Cited by 264 · see citing works
Blatter, K., Graw, P., Münch, M. Y., Knoblauch, V., Wirz‐Justice, A., & Cajochen, C. (2006) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2005.11.018 · Cited by 235 · see citing works
Antonio, J., Candow, D. G., Forbes, S. C., Gualano, B., Jagim, A. R., Kreider, R. B., Rawson, E. S., Smith-Ryan, A. E., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Willoughby, D. S., et al. (2021) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · doi:10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w · Cited by 231 · cited 1× · see citing works
“While the customary daily dose ranges from ~0.03 g/kg to 0.1 g/kg [54,55], recent meta-analyses have shown that a creatine supplementation dosing regimen of 0.2 g/kg is safe [56].”
InfluentialMetabolic Basis of Creatine in Health and Disease: A Bioinformatics-Assisted Review
Bonilla, D. A., Kreider, R. B., Stout, J. R., Forero, D. A., Kerksick, C. M., Roberts, M. D., & Rawson, E. S. (2021) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu13041238 · Cited by 223 · see citing works
Synthesis and transport of creatine in the CNS: Importance for cerebral functions
Béard, E., & Braissant, O. (2010) · Journal of Neurochemistry · doi:10.1111/j.1471-4159.2010.06935.x · Cited by 192 · see citing works
Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Brain Function and Health
Forbes, S. C., Cordingley, D. M., Cornish, S. M., Gualano, B., Roschel, H., Ostojić, S. M., Rawson, E. S., Roy, B. D., Prokopidis, K., Giannos, P., et al. (2022) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu14050921 · Cited by 174 · see citing works
McMorris, T., Harris, R. C., Swain, J., Corbett, J., Collard, K., Dyson, R. J., Dye, L., Hodgson, C., & Draper, N. (2006) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-005-0269-z · Cited by 168 · see citing works
Candow, D. G., Forbes, S. C., Chilibeck, P. D., Cornish, S. M., Antonio, J., & Kreider, R. B. (2019) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm8040488 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
Creatine deficiency syndromes and the importance of creatine synthesis in the brain
Braissant, O., Henry, H., Béard, E., & Uldry, J. (2011) · Amino Acids · doi:10.1007/s00726-011-0852-z · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Lyoo, I. K., Kong, S. W., Sung, S. M., Hirashima, F., Parow, A., Hennen, J., Cohen, B. M., & Renshaw, P. F. (2003) · Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/s0925-4927(03)00046-5 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Dai, X., Gong, H., Wáng, Y. X. J., Zhou, F., Min, Y.-J., Zhao, F., Wang, S.-Y., Liu, B., & Xiao, X.-Z. (2012) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2011.09.019 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Creatine Supplementation and Cognitive Performance in Elderly Individuals
McMorris, T., Mielcarz, G., Harris, R. C., Swain, J. P., & Howard, A. (2007) · Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition · doi:10.1080/13825580600788100 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Arazi, H., Eghbali, E., & Suzuki, K. (2021) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu13030869 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Sakellaris, G., Kotsiou, M., Tamiolaki, M., Kalostos, G., Tsapaki, E., Spanaki, M., Spilioti, M., Charissis, G., & Evangeliou, A. (2006) · The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care · doi:10.1097/01.ta.0000230269.46108.d5 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Hall, M., & Trojian, T. H. (2013) · Current Sports Medicine Reports · doi:10.1249/jsr.0b013e31829cdff2 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Cook, C. J., Crewther, B. T., Kilduff, L. P., Drawer, S., & Gaviglio, C. M. (2011) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · doi:10.1186/1550-2783-8-2 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Creatine supplementation in women's health: a lifespan perspective
Smith-Ryan, A. E., Cabre, H. E., Eckerson, J. M., & Candow, D. G. (2021) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu13030877 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Creatine for the Treatment of Depression
Kious, B. M., Kondo, D. G., & Renshaw, P. F. (2019) · Biomolecules · doi:10.3390/biom9090406 · Cited by 74 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The clinical relevance and therapeutic effects of creatine [1–4] have been demonstrated in cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) [2,5], neurodegenerative diseases [3], tumor-suppression [6] and depression [4,7].”
Gordji-Nejad, A., Matusch, A., Kleedörfer, S., Patel, H., Drzezga, A. E., Elmenhorst, D., Binkofski, F., & Bauer, A. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-54249-9 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Self-citationRathje, M., Fang, H., Bachman, J. L., Anggono, V., Gether, U., Huganir, R., & Madsen, K. L. (2013) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · doi:10.1073/pnas.1312982110 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Effect of age, diet, and tissue type on PCr response to creatine supplementation
Solis, M. Y., Artioli, G. G., Otaduy, M. C. G., Leite, C. D. C., Arruda, W., Veiga, R. R., & Gualano, B. (2017) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00248.2017 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Cerebral energetic effects of creatine supplementation in humans
Pan, J. W., & Takahashi, K. (2007) · American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology · doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00717.2006 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Acute creatine ingestion in human: Consequences on serum creatine and creatinine concentrations
Schedel, J.-M., Tanaka, H., Kiyonaga, A., Shindo, M., & Schutz, Y. (1999) · Life Sciences · doi:10.1016/s0024-3205(99)00512-3 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Jaques Reifman, A., Kumar, K., Khitrov, M. Y., Liu, J., & Ramakrishnan, S. (2018) · Journal of Neuroscience Methods · doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2018.04.007 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Bélanger, M., Asashima, T., Ohtsuki, S., Yamaguchi, H., Ito, S., & Terasaki, T. (2006) · Neurochemistry International · doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2006.07.005 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
The Effects of Systemic and Local Acidosis on Insulin Resistance and Signaling
Baldini, N., & Avnet, S. (2018) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms20010126 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Creatine Protects against Excitoxicity in an In Vitro Model of Neurodegeneration
Genius, J., Geiger, J., Bender, A., Möller, H., Klopstock, T., & Rujescu, D. (2012) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030554 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Cunha, M. P., Pazini, F. L., Rosa, J. M., Ramos-Hryb, A. B., Oliveira‐Giacomelli, Á., Kaster, M. P., & Rodrigues, A. L. S. (2015) · Purinergic Signalling · doi:10.1007/s11302-015-9446-7 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Hennecke, E., Lange, D., Steenbergen, F., Fronczek, J., Elmenhorst, D., Bauer, A., Aeschbach, D., & Elmenhorst, E. (2020) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.13225 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Self-citationVidafar, P., Gooley, J. J., Burns, A. C., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Rueger, M., Van Reen, E., Czeisler, C. A., Lockley, S. W., & Cain, S. W. (2018) · Sleep · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsy098 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Single‐ and Multiple‐Dose Pharmacokinetics of Oral Creatine
Persky, A. M., Müller, M., Derendorf, H., Grant, M. B., Brazeau, G. A., & Hochhaus, G. (2003) · The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology · doi:10.1177/0091270002239703 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Sleep, sleepiness, and circadian rhythmicity in aircrews operating on transatlantic routes.
Wegmann, H. M., GUNDEL, A., Naumann, M., Samel, A., Schwartz, E., & Vejvoda, M. (1986) · PubMed · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Altering meal timing to improve cognitive performance during simulated nightshifts
Gupta, C. C., Centofanti, S. A., Dorrian, J., Coates, A. M., Stepien, J. M., Kennaway, D. J., Wittert, G., Heilbronn, L. K., CATCHESIDE, P. G., Noakes, M., et al. (2019) · Chronobiology International · doi:10.1080/07420528.2019.1676256 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Hjelmervik, H., Hausmann, M., Craven, A. R., Hirnstein, M., Hugdahl, K., & Specht, K. (2018) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.01.043 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Cunha, M. P., Pazini, F. L., Oliveira‐Giacomelli, Á., Bettio, L. E. B., Rosa, J. M., Machado, D. G., & Rodrigues, A. L. S. (2013) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2013.01.014 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Creatine monohydrate supplementation for older adults and clinical populations
Candow, D. G., Ostojić, S. M., Chilibeck, P. D., Longobardi, I., Gualano, B., Tarnopolsky, M. A., Wallimann, T., Moriarty, T. A., Kreider, R. B., Forbes, S. C., et al. (2025) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · doi:10.1080/15502783.2025.2534130 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Dietary guanidinoacetic acid increases brain creatine levels in healthy men
Ostojić, S. M., Ostojic, J. N., Drid, P., Vraneš, M., & Jovanov, P. T. (2016) · Nutrition · doi:10.1016/j.nut.2016.06.001 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Creatine affords protection against glutamate-induced nitrosative and oxidative stress
Cunha, M. P., Lieberknecht, V., Ramos-Hryb, A. B., Olescowicz, G., Ludka, F. K., Tasca, C. I., Gabilan, N. H., & Rodrigues, A. L. S. (2016) · Neurochemistry International · doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2016.01.002 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance—a randomised controlled study
Sandkühler, J. F., Kersting, X., Faust, A., Königs, E. K., Altman, G., Ettinger, U., Lux, S., Philipsen, A., Müller, H., & Brauner, J. (2023) · BMC Medicine · doi:10.1186/s12916-023-03146-5 · Cited by 29 · cited 1× · see citing works
“However, in healthy individuals or at rest, creatine appears to have little or no effect on brain creatine levels [24,25].”
Protective Effects of Some Creatine Derivatives in Brain Tissue Anoxia
Perasso, L., Lunardi, G. L., Risso, F., Pohvozcheva, A. V., Leko, M. V., Gandolfo, C., Florio, T., Cupello, A., Burov, S. V., & Balestrino, M. (2007) · Neurochemical Research · doi:10.1007/s11064-007-9492-9 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Gordon, A. N., Moore, S. R., Patterson, N. D., Hostetter, M. E., Cabre, H. E., Hirsch, K. R., Hackney, A. C., & Smith‐Ryan, A. E. (2023) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu15163567 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Creatine supplementation reduces sleep need and homeostatic sleep pressure in rats
Dworak, M., Kim, T., McCarley, R. W., & Basheer, R. (2017) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.12523 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Creatine supplementation is safe, beneficial throughout the lifespan, and should not be restricted
Kreider, R. B., Jagim, A. R., António, J., Kalman, D., Kerksick, C. M., Stout, J. R., Wildman, R. E. C., Collins, R., & Bonilla, D. A. (2025) · Frontiers in Nutrition · doi:10.3389/fnut.2025.1578564 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
On the Effect of Sex on Prefrontal and Cerebellar Neurometabolites in Healthy Adults: An MRS Study
Endres, D., van Elst, L. T., Feige, B., Backenecker, S., Nickel, K., Bubl, A., Lange, T., Mader, I., Maier, S. J., & Perlov, E. (2016) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00367 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Lee, B. K., & Jung, Y. (2017) · Biomolecules & Therapeutics · doi:10.4062/biomolther.2017.018 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Creatine monohydrate pilot in Alzheimer's: Feasibility, brain creatine, and cognition
Smith, A. N., Choi, I., Lee, P., Sullivan, D. K., Burns, J. M., Swerdlow, R. H., Kelly, E., & Taylor, M. K. (2025) · Alzheimer s & Dementia Translational Research & Clinical Interventions · doi:10.1002/trc2.70101 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Creatine Activity as a Neuromodulator in the Central Nervous System
Meftahi, G. H., Hatef, B., & Jahromi, G. P. (2023) · Archives of Razi Institute · doi:10.32592/ari.2023.78.4.1169 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Creatine in women’s health: bridging the gap from menstruation through pregnancy to menopause
Smith‐Ryan, A. E., DelBiondo, G. M., Brown, A. F., Kleiner, S. M., Tran, N. T., & Ellery, S. J. (2025) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · doi:10.1080/15502783.2025.2502094 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
The influence of deprivation of paradoxical sleep on cerebral ammonia metabolism
Hăulică, I., Ababei, L., Teodorescu, C., Roşslca, V., Hăulică, A., Moisiu, M., & Haller, C. (1970) · Journal of Neurochemistry · doi:10.1111/j.1471-4159.1970.tb03356.x · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Marini, S., Santangeli, O., Saarelainen, P., Middleton, B., Chowdhury, N. R., Skene, D. J., Costa, R., Porkka‐Heiskanen, T., & Montagnese, S. (2017) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.00636 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Zhu, Z., Zhang, H., Li, Q., Han, X., Wang, T., Zhang, W., Chen, F., Gu, L., Yao, Q. Z., Chen, L., et al. (2025) · Food Science & Nutrition · doi:10.1002/fsn3.4767 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Korovljev, D., Ostojic, J. N., Panic, J., Ranisavljev, M., Todorović, N., Nedeljkovic, D., Kuzmanović, J., Vraneš, M., Štajer, V., & Ostojić, S. M. (2025) · Journal of the American Nutrition Association · doi:10.1080/27697061.2025.2551184 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Creatine as a treatment for depression: A brain bioenergetics perspective
Fabiano, N., & Stubbs, B. (2025) · European Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.03.014 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Imaging homeostatic sleep pressure and circadian rhythm in the human brain
Fang, Z., & Rao, H. (2017) · Journal of Thoracic Disease · doi:10.21037/jtd.2017.03.168 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Gonzalez, D. E., Forbes, S. C., Zapp, A., Jagim, A. R., Luedke, J. A., Dickerson, B. L., Root, A., Gil, A. C., Johnson, S. E., Coles, M. E., et al. (2024) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu16193285 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Gordji-Nejad, A., Matusch, A., Kleedörfer, S., Patel, H., Drzezga, A. E., Elmenhorst, D., Binkofski, F., & Bauer, A. (2025) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2025.1515761 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Self-citationOstojić, S. M., & Kavečan, I. (2026) · Lifestyle Genomics · doi:10.1159/000551090 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Creatine supplementation and cognitive aging: The challenge of crossing the blood–brain barrier
Machado, M. (2025) · Nutrition and Health · doi:10.1177/02601060251404327 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Andjelic, B., Todorović, N., Panić, J. J., Vraneš, M., Štajer, V., & Ostojić, S. M. (2025) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · doi:10.1080/15502783.2025.2533660 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [37]Toomim H.J. Brain Workshop—A Dual N-Back Game Version 4.8.4 Brain Workshop Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2014
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Przybylski, D., Pudzisz, P., Brożyna, S., Szamocka, K., Koszałka, A., Bogacki, W., Bińkowska-Chęć, K., & Frączek, K. (2026) · International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science · doi:10.31435/ijitss.3(51).2026.6685
- Authors
- Gordji-Nejad, A., Matusch, A., Hengstler, L., Beer, S., Kroll, T., Klein, S., Elmenhorst, D., Bauer, A., & Drzezga, A.
- Affiliations
- Forschungszentrum Jülich (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Gordji-Nejad, Ali
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nutrients
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2026-04-10
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1192
- ISSN
- 2072-6643 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC13119191
- OpenAlex
- W7153258317
- Cited by
- 1
- References
- 60
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1
- FWCI
- 7.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nutrients (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Forschungszentrum Jülich
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Keywords
- creatine monohydrate, sleep deprivation, cognitive performance, processing speed, psychomotor vigilance test, sex differences, brain metabolism
- MeSH terms
- Processing Speed, Cognitive Enhancement, Adult, Cognition, Creatine, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Male, Psychomotor Performance, Sleep Deprivation, Dietary Supplements, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
