Introduction

Meet Zak the Zombie. He's dead tired, pun intended. We've all been there, right? Maybe it was all-night cramming for exams, long shifts at work, or those sleepless nights after bringing a new puppy or baby home. 

The tired eyes, the lack of energy, and the brain fog can leave you feeling, well, like a bit of a zombie. But fear not, there might just be a cure for your undead state! In today's post, we're diving into a study that suggests creatine could be the key.

The Study

creatine improving brain function

The study, titled "Single Dose Creatine Improves Cognitive Performance and Induces Changes in Cerebral High Energy Phosphates During Sleep Deprivation" isn't exactly catchy, but it's certainly informative. Published in Nature, this study might not scream "Creatine: Cure for the Zombie Apocalypse," but it's close enough for our purposes.

As you can see from the graphic 👆, this was a double-blind, randomised study. Participants started with a solid eight hours of sleep from 11 PM to 7 AM, then faced sleep deprivation until 7 AM the next day. During this time, they were in a lab, going through a series of tests, repeated four times. These included:

  1. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) - A non-invasive way to measure biochemicals like creatine in the brain.
  2. Karolinska Sleepiness Score (KSS) & Fatigue Score (FAT) - To see just how zombie-like they felt.
  3. Psychomotor Vigilance Tests (PVT) - Checking alertness and reaction time. 
  4. Cognitive Tests (Cog. Test) - Memory, attention, spatial processing, language, and logic - the full mental workout.

The twist? One group got a placebo (corn starch), while the other got a hefty dose of creatine at 0.35 grams per kilogram of body weight - much higher than the usual 5 grams daily dose.

The Results

results of creatine and sleep deprivation

Here's where it gets exciting - check out the graphic showing cognitive and psychomotor results above 👆. Here's a key for the different types of tests:

  • WMT (Word Memory Tests) - A memory test using random word lists.
  • SPAN - Now with numbers, because why not make it harder?
  • Language, Logic & Numeric - The trifecta of cognitive tests found in IQ exams.
  • PVT - Again, measuring how alert you are when you're basically a walking dead.

The wild thing is the creatine group (in red) not only out scored the placebo group (in grey) in EVERY test, they did so with SPEED! 

Wrapping It Up:

This study suggests that a dose of creatine before sleep deprivation could be a game-changer for almost all of us. But for some it would be even more important:

  • Long-haul truck drivers or shift workers with heavy machinery after a rough night's sleep.
  • Nurses ensuring they're giving the right meds, or surgeons in the midst of a delicate operation at the end of a long week.
  • Our armed forces, where every second counts, and sleep is a luxury.

Their ability to react, remember, and communicate effectively could literally be a matter of life and death. 

The good news? Creatine isn't just effective; it's also one of the cheapest, most accessible supplements out there. If you're new to creatine, start small at 5g, watch out for side effects, and work your way up. For regular users, this study points to a single dose of 0.35g per kg of body weight for those zombie-fighting benefits.

Looking forward, more studies comparing different doses would be fantastic to pinpoint the perfect zombie-busting amount of creatine.

So Remember: Don't Be A Zombie! Creatine Is The Cure.

Don't be a zombie! Take creatine.