Can creatine cause insomnia?

[Judy2]

@Natasha Tori Maru okay, this sounds good.

i have never tested creatine in isolation without also changing my diet or exercise routine at the same time, so i think this makes it hard for me to tell where exactly the benefits are coming from.

[Natasha Tori Maru]

11 hours ago, Judy2 said:

@Natasha Tori Maru okay, this sounds good.

i have never tested creatine in isolation without also changing my diet or exercise routine at the same time, so i think this makes it hard for me to tell where exactly the benefits are coming from.

Naughty naughty - SUCH a bad scientist not isolating your variables  

I am quite austere and regimented. I have controlled enough other variables to reasonably deduct creatine has beneficial effects for me.

I log all workouts and export from my Garmin as well - I look at trends over time - creatine use shows up in my data.

It causes anxiety in some people, though.

[Judy2]

@Natasha Tori Maruokay:) thanks for sharing

[Schizophonia]

Any counter-intuitive foods can increase baseline anxiety levels.

Either due to a direct effect on the nervous system or metabolism, or indirectly for exemple by altering intestinal transit.

Studies are meaningless; that is a reductionist view that fails to account for homeostasis. Creatine can be problematic in absolute terms just like anything else that interferes with the body's homeostasis.

[Elliott]

On 10/6/2026 at 2:46 AM, yetineti said:

I take creatine as needed. It seems to work fairly well for me.

 

That's not how they say it works, they say it requires long term consumption, that you have to build it up in your system.

Edited 10 hours ago by Elliott

[yetineti]

1 hour ago, Elliott said:

That's not how they say it works, they say it requires long term consumption, that you have to build it up in your system.

@Elliott

I used to take creatine all the time. I’d do loading periods, work out twice a day, take it every day, all of that. This was like ten years ago. By the time I graduated high school, studies were already coming out saying you don’t need to do a loading phase.

What I noticed, though, is that I still felt the cognitive benefits even when I wasn’t working out, especially if I hadn’t slept much. There are now double-blind studies showing that a large single dose can have cognitive effects during sleep deprivation.

Creatine also takes weeks to return to baseline after you stop taking it, so taking it inconsistently doesn’t mean there’s suddenly none in your system. People who eat meat get creatine directly through their diet, along with the amino acids the body uses to synthesize its own creatine.

I don’t see the point in constantly taking large amounts just to stay maximally saturated. Dehydration itself can stress the kidneys, and I’d rather not unnecessarily push the dose when I’m not always going to be perfectly hydrated.

Edited 9 hours ago by yetineti

[Elliott]

28 minutes ago, yetineti said:

@Elliott

I don’t see the point in constantly taking large amounts just to stay maximally saturated. Dehydration itself can stress the kidneys, and I’d rather not unnecessarily push the dose when I’m not always going to be perfectly hydrated.

By large amounts you mean 5g daily?

I have never noticed it.

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What I noticed, though, is that I still felt the cognitive benefits even when I wasn’t working out, especially if I hadn’t slept much. There are now double-blind studies showing that a large single dose can have cognitive effects during sleep deprivation.

So, you're not doing single doses for physical benefit? I only see a study on sleep deprivation and cognitive function, for single dose, 25g.

How much better do you feel? The study say 12-18% faster processing. I'm never going to take that much to find out myself 

Edited 8 hours ago by Elliott

[Thought Art]

Yes, because it allows more energy to be created

[yetineti]

4 hours ago, Elliott said:

By large amounts you mean 5g daily?

I don't mind 5g daily but I don't feel a need to actually do it everyday. I don’t like any form of daily supplementation, though. I prefer nutrients from food. I specifically avoid loading periods.

Quote

So, you're not doing single doses for physical benefit? I only see a study on sleep deprivation and cognitive function, for single dose, 25g.

I will take up take 25g if I didn’t sleep well or had a big workout. I don’t feel the need to do this frequently or for multiple days in a row, though.

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How much better do you feel? The study say 12-18% faster processing. I'm never going to take that much to find out myself.

I have to drink a good 20oz of water before and after that size dose and remain properly hydrated through out the day but it is so effective for me that I have taken it mornings after I didn’t sleep well and will make me completely forget, to the point of consciously telling myself to go to sleep.

It hasn’t caused issues with sleep, directly, for me, though.

Also, I do recommend L-theanine for similar cognitive benefits as creatine. I take 200mg of that as needed as well.

@Elliott

Edited 4 hours ago by yetineti

[Natasha Tori Maru]

43 minutes ago, Thought Art said:

Yes, because it allows more energy to be created

It improves the muscle cell's ability to rapidly regenerate ATP, which is the immediate energy currency used for muscle contraction.