Rhonda Patrick: This Creatine Dose Makes Your Brain Work Like You Slept 8 Hours

Key Takeaways

• Take 10g creatine daily for brain benefits (higher than traditional 5g muscle-building dose).
• For acute cognitive stress (sleep deprivation, travel), take 20-25g creatine (0.35g/kg body weight).
• Creatine works best when the brain is stressed – it enhances performance during cognitive load, sleep deprivation, or aging.
• No need for loading phases – muscle saturation occurs naturally within 3-4 weeks at 5g/day.

Supplements & Protocols Mentioned

• Creatine: 5g/day standard dose, 10g/day for brain benefits, 20-25g/day for acute cognitive stress (0.35g/kg body weight)
• Old protocol (optional): Loading phase with 5g creatine 3-5x/day for 1 week, then 5g/day maintenance

Notable Quotes

“When you start to get to 10 grams [of creatine], then if you look by MRI, you can start to see that creatine levels are increasing in certain brain regions.”

“20 grams of creatine… in sleep deprived state, they’re performing better than their baseline.”

Bottom Line

Increase creatine intake to 10g/day for general brain health, and use 20-25g doses for acute cognitive stressors like sleep deprivation or travel.

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