Can You Hack Yourself Out of Sleep Deprivation?

Apparently YES!

** Dolomites pre-bed treat of wine & cheese - not ideal but worth it

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A 2024 creatine study is suddenly all over my IG feed - and I get why.

Creatine has been around forever in sports science, but for years I filed it under “gym bro powder.” Then I started hearing Dr. Stacy Sims talk about it for women - not just for muscle, but for brain health, bone density, and aging well - and it moved onto my radar.

The basics: creatine is one of the most researched supplements out there. Beyond the gym, previous studies have shown benefits for:

• Increasing muscle strength and lean mass

• Supporting memory and cognitive performance

• Protecting brain function in aging and neurodegenerative conditions

• Reducing muscle loss during injury recovery or immobilization

This new research takes it in a different direction - showing that after 21 hours awake, a single high dose helped people process information faster, stay alert, and remember more.

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Why this got my attention

Over the past year, creatine has been popping up everywhere (brands and content). Most tell you to take 5 g/day. Some experts now suggest 10–20 g/day in certain contexts. The study used about 24 g for a 70 kg person — a big leap from what’s on the label.

I’m not someone who blindly pops a pill or powder to “hack” my body - but I do believe in smart self-experimentation. Long-term benefits aside, if you want to know if it works for you, here’s how I’d do it.

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How to See If It Works for YOU

1. Pause other supplements for a few days so you can actually isolate the effect.

2. On days you slept badly, try ~20 g creatine (4 x dose)

3. Pay attention to focus, mood, and performance.

4. Write it down for at least 3–4 trials (I do it in ChatGPT)

5. Look at your notes and decide if it’s worth keeping

I’m already knee-deep in other self-tests, but once I’m back in the city, this will be one of the first I run.

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Brands I’ve Tried

• Thorne Creatine: clean and unflavored, disappears into anything.

• Momentous Creatine: NSF-certified, smooth texture.

• Create Gummies: fun and easy, but I’m still skeptical of gummies for serious supplementation.

** All three are easy to travel with

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Details below if you want to dig in.

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The study in plain English

• Design: 2024 randomized, crossover trial in Scientific Reports

• Who: 15 healthy adults, awake for ~21 h

• What: 0.35 g/kg creatine monohydrate vs placebo

• How: Brain metabolic scans (^31P-MRS, ^1H-MRS) + cognitive tests at 3, 5.5, and 7.5 hours post-dose

• Findings:

  • Boosted brain energy markers (PCr/Pi, tCr/tNAA)

  • Stabilized ATP and pH

  • Faster processing speed, better vigilance, improved memory and reasoning

• Timing: Effects started ~3 h, peaked ~4 h, lasted up to 9 h

• Caution: One-time very high dose in a lab — not a daily-use recommendation

📅 Published: January 2024
🔗 Read the full study
PMID: 38418482