The Tool to Fight Fatigue

If you’re feeling worn down, it may be your schedule. International travel and extended workdays impose metabolic strain and circadian disruption.

Fatigue accumulates when ATP demand exceeds regenerative capacity. Sleep restriction, circadian misalignment, and prolonged cognitive demand increase cerebral ATP turnover and oxidative stress. That’s why travel and long days could leave you feeling tired and unmotivated.

The answer to your fatigue may be creatine. Creatine supplementation increases phosphocreatine availability, potentially buffering energy instability during these states. The benefits of creatine on athletic performance are well-documented, however increasing evidence shows that creatine supplementation has a role in both sleep deprived and high performance individuals. 

Controlled trials in sleep deprivation demonstrate improved reaction time, executive performance, and mood state stability compared with placebo. Gonzalez et al. have suggested the creatine has a potential role for firefighter and tactical warriors given their high exposure to physical stress, mental stress, and sleep deprivation. 

While not well-studied, it stands to reason that creatine supplementation may have a role in high performing professionals who are exposed to long work hours or even play a role in jet lag given the sleep deprivation that occurs with travel. 

 

References

  1. Fernanedz-Landa J, et al. Effect of Ten Weeks of Creatine Monohydrate Plus HMB Supplementation on Athletic Performance Tests in Elite Male Endurance Athletes. Nutrients. 2020. 12:193.

  2. Gordji-Nejad A. Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation. Sci Rep. 2024; 14:4937

  3. Gonzalez et al. Fueling the Firefighter and Tactical Athlete with Creatine: A Narrative Review of a Key Nutrient for Public Safety. Nutrients. 2024; 16:3285.

  4. Avgerinos KI, Spyrou N, Bougioukas KI, Kapogiannis D. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Exp Gerontol. 2018;108:166–173.