25g creatine said to aid post‑sleep cognition

ABC reported on August 6 that physician and longevity commentator Sebastián La Rosa said a one-time 25-gram dose of creatine can improve brain function after a bad night’s sleep. The report said the effect applies in sleep-deprivation settings and can last for up to nine hours, while La Rosa described the benefit as temporary rather than a substitute for sleep. ABC’s account matches findings from a 2024 Scientific Reports paper that tested a high single dose of creatine during overnight wakefulness. ### Where does the “25 grams” claim come from? ABC’s August 6 article attributed the claim to La Rosa and said a 25-gram dose of creatine improved brain function for nine hours in people who had slept poorly. The wording tracks closely with a 2024 study from researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University Hospital, which examined a high single dose of creatine under sleep-deprivation conditions. (abc.es) The 2024 paper reported that a high single dose improved cognitive performance during sleep deprivation, with effects peaking about four hours after ingestion and lasting up to nine hours. The Jülich research institute said the study involved 15 participants kept awake overnight and found gains in processing capacity and short-term memory. (abc.es) ### Was the study really about people who just slept badly for one night? The 2024 study was conducted in a sleep-deprivation model, not in ordinary day-to-day tiredness after a mildly short night. The paper and the Jülich summary both describe participants being kept awake overnight and then tested on cognitive tasks after taking creatine. (fz-juelich.de) That distinction matters because the evidence cited here is specific: a high acute dose was tested in an experimental sleep-loss setting. ABC said La Rosa framed the effect as relevant after sleeping badly, but the published research behind the nine-hour figure comes from controlled sleep deprivation rather than a broad recommendation for routine use after any poor night of sleep. (fz-juelich.de) ### What did researchers say improved? Forschungszentrum Jülich said the clearest improvements were in processing capacity and short-term memory. The institute’s summary said positive effects on brain metabolism and cognitive performance were visible three hours after creatine intake, peaked at four hours and persisted for up to nine hours. (abc.es) Nature’s Scientific Reports paper described the same core result, saying a high single dose improved cognitive performance during sleep deprivation and induced changes in cerebral high-energy phosphates. That supports La Rosa’s description of a short-lived cognitive benefit, but only within the specific conditions studied. ### Is this settled science or still early evidence? (fz-juelich.de) A systematic review published in June 2026 found only five studies that met its criteria on creatine and acute sleep deprivation. The review said early research showed a positive trend for cognition, psychomotor performance or mood, but added that evidence remains sparse and that more high-quality trials are needed. (nature.com) A second paper published in Nutrients in April 2026 also built on the earlier work, investigating whether a lower dose could produce cognitive effects during sleep deprivation. Its existence shows the field is moving beyond the original high-dose experiment, but it also underlines that researchers are still testing dose and effect rather than treating the question as settled. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) ### Did researchers warn against trying this at home? Dr. Ali Gordjinejad of Forschungszentrum Jülich said in the institute’s 2024 release that people should not take such a high dose at home for now. He said high doses can put a heavy strain on the kidneys and may pose health risks, while adding that lower-dose findings in future studies could change how the supplement is viewed in sleep-loss settings. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) La Rosa’s own framing, as quoted by ABC, was also limited. ABC said he described the effects as transient, and the article presented the finding as short-term cognitive support in sleep-deprivation contexts rather than a replacement for sleep itself. (abc.es) (fz-juelich.de)