🧠 A 2024 study found that 25-30g of creatine (roughly 0.35g/kg body weight) counteracts 21 (even up to 36) hours of sleep deprivation, boosting cognitive processing speed and memory by acting as an emergency brain energy buffer. This challenges the assumption that sleep is the only way to recover brain energy, suggesting metabolic supplementation can directly replenish ATP and override fatigue-related cognitive decline. 🗂️Mechanisms of Action: 📑Rapid ATP Regeneration: When the brain is sleep-deprived, it runs out of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate - the primary energy currency needed for neurons to function). Creatine donations of phosphate groups regenerate ATP, which sustains neuronal function and improves cognitive speed and working memory, even when the brain is under severe metabolic stress. 📑Rapid Brain Uptake: While it was previously thought that creatine takes weeks to affect the brain, new research shows that single, high-dose of creatine can significantly increase brain creatine levels within hours. 📑Mitigating Metabolic Dysfunction: Studies shows that a single 25-30g dose can completely negate cognitive deficits, such as slowed reaction time and reduced executive function, caused by 21-36 hours of sleep deprivation. 📑Buffer for Mental Fatigue: Creatine acts as an “energy safety net”, supporting brain energy metabolism and reducing the mental fog, poor focus, and reduced processing speed that accompany fatigue. 📑Results: “Better than rested performance”. The research indicates that this high-dose strategy can not only reverse the negative effects of poor sleep, but in some cases, make individuals perform better than they would have without the supplement and with proper sleep, including improved memory, faster processing and better focus. PMID: 38418482