Hola from S. Padre TX as it is your favorite kiteboarding and lifting nerd here, typing this with one eye twitching and the other half-open, because last night I slept like a caffeinated ferret in a leaf blower.

You ever get that kind of brain fog?
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The kind where your neurons feel like they’re running on expired battery acid and your frontal cortex forgot how to human?

​But instead of biohacking nonsense or $600 “nootropic gene panels,” I reached for my old reliable: creatine monohydrate.

Now, here’s the nerd question that’s been echoing through my skull like a Metallica bass drop:
​Can high-dose creatine (10–20 g/day) actually improve brain fog or cognitive function?

The creatine train rolls on and let’s tear through the data — caffeinated, unfiltered, and with zero affiliate bias until the end (because yes, I still want you to buy creatine instead of garbage).

The Idea: Feed the Brain Its Backup Battery

Creatine isn’t just for biceps. Your brain chews through ATP like I chew through cold brew on deadline.
When neurons run low — from sleep deprivation, stress, hypoxia, or overtraining — they rely on the phosphocreatine shuttle to keep the lights on.

That’s the same system your muscles use to crank out a 500 lb deadlift or survive another round on the Echo Bike.

So the theory goes:
--> more creatine = more phosphocreatine = more ATP buffer = sharper brain under stress.

And yes — the research has actually tested that.

The Evidence: 20 Grams of Fog Lift (Sort Of)

Let’s start with the good stuff:

Gordji-Nejad et al. (2024) gave sleep-deprived humans a single dose of creatine and found their cognitive performance and cerebral phosphates improved. Translation: they literally powered up their brains during sleep loss.

Turner, Byblow, and Gant (2015) did it under oxygen deprivation — still saw improved attention and corticomotor excitability.

Xu et al. (2024) dropped a monster meta-analysis across 10+ studies and found small but real effects on memory and attention, especially in older adults or stressed brains.

Forbes et al. (2022) summarized the brain effects broadly — memory and processing speed improved under strain, not in chill, rested conditions.

So far so good, right?
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You’re picturing a brain slamming a scoop of Driven Creatine and firing neurons like a strobe light.
​
Hold that thought.

The Caveat: More Isn’t Always Better

Once the studies stretched longer — say, 5–7 days of loading (20 g/day) and maintenance phases — the magic dimmed.

Monsanto et al. (2019) and Moriarty et al. (2023) found no meaningful cognitive benefit in healthy young adults.

Prokopidis et al. (2022) ran a meta-analysis and agreed: memory gains are small, inconsistent, and mostly show up in older or vegetarian populations.

So the pattern emerges:
​Brain under stress? Creatine helps.
​Brain already rested and fed? You just make expensive pee and maybe hold some water weight in your forehead.

The Physiology Behind the Fog Lift

Here’s the geeky bit most “creatine brain” blogs miss:
Your neurons store about 5–10 mM phosphocreatine — a fraction of what your muscle can hold — and the blood-brain barrier limits uptake.

But under sleep loss, hypoxia, or ATP shortage, transporter expression (SLC6A8) increases.
That’s your body begging for more phosphagen support.

Feed it creatine then, and it actually uses it.
Feed it creatine when everything’s perfect, and it just shrugs and flushes.

This is why high-dose protocols (20 g/day) make sense acutely in sleep deprivation, but not as a long-term “brain booster.”

Safety Reality Check

All the meta-analyses agree: high-dose creatine (10–20 g/day) is safe for short bursts, but mostly pointless long-term.
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Worst-case scenario: a bit of GI distress and some water retention.

No kidneys were harmed in the making of this supplement (sorry, Reddit).

Why This Matters

Creatine isn’t Adderall in a tub — but it’s the closest legal thing to mitochondrial caffeine.

For lifters, coaches, and sleep-deprived humans, it’s one of the few compounds that crosses over from muscle physiology to neuro-energy metabolism.
And unlike most “nootropics,” it actually has a metabolic backbone.

The take-home?
If your brain is cooked, not broken, creatine can help, but for cognitive effects (which are wide ranging), it may help but the current data is very mixed.

Summary

• Consider 10–20 g/day creatine for 5–7 days if you’re in a sleep-deprived or high-stress phase.
• Drop back to 3–5 g/day for maintenance.
• Eat, lift, sleep, repeat.

Forget the $120 “neuro-stack” of powdered lion pancreas.
​
Grab a tub of Driven Creatine (affiliate link below, full disclosure), and feed your neurons the same fuel your muscles love.

​→ Buy Driven Creatine here​
(because your brain deserves a pump too)

Much love,

Dr Mike

References

Avgerinos, K. I., Spyrou, N., Bougioukas, K. I., & Kapogiannis, D. (2018). Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Experimental Gerontology, 108, 166–173.

Candow, D. G., Forbes, S. C., Ostojić, S. M., Prokopidis, K., Stock, M. S., Harmon, K., & Faulkner, P. (2023). “Heads up” for creatine supplementation and its potential applications for brain health and function. Sports Medicine, 53(7), 1447–1465.

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., & Candow, D. G. (2022). Effects of creatine supplementation on brain function and health. Nutrients, 14(5), 921.

Gordji-Nejad, A., Matusch, A., Kleedörfer, S., Patel, H., Drzezga, A., Elmenhorst, D., Binkofski, F., & Bauer, A. (2024). Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high-energy phosphates during sleep deprivation. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 54249.

Monsanto, N., Hopkins, D., Deschenes, A., Scott, L., & Skelton, M. (2019). Effect of creatine monohydrate on cognitive function in healthy male and female subjects. FASEB Journal, 33(S1), 738.19.

Moriarty, T., Bourbeau, K., Dorman, K., Runyon, L., Glaser, N., Brandt, J., Hoodjer, M., Forbes, S. C., & Candow, D. G. (2023). Dose–response of creatine supplementation on cognitive function in healthy young adults. Brain Sciences, 13(9), 1276.

Prokopidis, K., Giannos, P., Triantafyllidis, K., Kechagias, K., Forbes, S. C., & Candow, D. G. (2022). Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition Reviews, 81(2), 249–260.

Smith, K., Weickel, C., Petersen, J., & Skelton, M. (2019). Effect of creatine monohydrate on cognitive function in subjects who differ in dietary meat consumption. FASEB Journal, 33(S1), 738.18.

Turck, D., Bohn, T., Cámara, M., Castenmiller, J., De Henauw, S., Hirsch-Ernst, K. I., Jos, Á., Maciuk, A., Mangelsdorf, I., McNulty, B., Naska, A., Pentieva, K., Thies, F., Craciun, I., Fiolet, T., & Siani, A. (2024). Creatine and improvement in cognitive function: Evaluation of a health claim. EFSA Journal, 22(2), 9100.

Turner, C. E., Byblow, W. D., & Gant, N. (2015). Creatine supplementation enhances corticomotor excitability and cognitive performance during oxygen deprivation. Journal of Neuroscience, 35(4), 1773–1780.
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Xu, C., Bi, S., Zhang, W., & Luo, L. (2024). The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11, 1424972.

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>> Grab Driven Creatine below​
​www.miketnelsoncreatine.com​
Use code DRMIKE to save a few bucks on all Driven products​
​
​Full disclosure: affiliate link. I use it myself and recommend it to my clients — because it flat-out works when sleep goes sideways.

​

____________________

Mike T Nelson CISSN, CSCS, MSME, PhD
Associate Professor, Carrick Institute
Owner, Extreme Human Performance, LLC
Editorial Board Member, STRONG Fitness Mag

Mike T Nelson is a PhD and not a physician or registered dietitian. The contents of this email should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.

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