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While it’s impossible to ignore the physical impacts of pregnancy and delivery in the postpartum period, what’s become even harder for me to overlook are the changes in my brain. Probably because I’m back at work now and trying to perform at full capacity while running at what feels like less than half. It’s brutal.

I know that some of this comes from the amazing shifts in women’s brains after having a baby, but add in the perpetual exhaustion and I can count the seconds it takes for my thoughts to land. I can feel I’m less sharp.

Honestly, I’d do almost anything to shake that slowness. It drives me nuts. I long for the days when I had what feels now like boundless concentration and rapid-fire brain power. Is that kind of mental energy even possible again?

Most of us think of creatine as a muscle supplement. That’s what we talked about last week. But your brain actually burns through energy faster than almost any other organ in your body. Just like your muscles, it leans on creatine’s backup battery system to keep firing when demands spike.

So what does that mean for us, when our brains are under stress (🙋🏻‍♀️), short on sleep (🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️), or stretched to the max (🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️)? Could creatine actually help us think clearer, focus better, and keep up when life feels like chaos?

🧠 Creatine on the Brain

Your brain is tiny but hungry. (Like my second-born.) It’s only ~2% of your body weight, but burns ~20% of your daily energy. Most of that fuel goes into firing neurons so you can think, focus, and remember.

Brain cells don’t store much energy. So when demand spikes (like with sleep loss, stress, or postpartum fog), they depend on creatine's phosphocreatine system to recycle ATP and keep signals firing.

🔎 What the research shows:

• Sleep deprivation & fatigue: Meta-analyses show creatine can improve attention, working memory, and reaction time under pressure. Benefits are strongest in people who are mentally exhausted, short on sleep, or stressed.¹ 

• Memory & processing speed: Supplementation boosted performance in tasks that required sustained effort or complex recall, improving both accuracy and speed.

• Neuroprotection: Lab rat studies suggest creatine shields brain structures like the hippocampus (critical for memory) from stress-related damage.

But getting creatine into the brain isn’t straightforward. Most creatine in your body is made in your liver and kidneys. And while a small amount is made in the brain itself, the rest has to cross the blood-brain barrier, which acts as a security gate.

Only limited amounts of creatine can get through. This means it can take higher or longer-term supplementation to noticeably raise creatine levels in the brain compared to muscles.

👯‍♀️ Why this matters for women:

Some evidence suggests women may benefit more than men. Hormonal shifts (our menstrual cycles, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause) affect creatine metabolism in the brain, and may help explain why supplementation sometimes shows stronger cognitive effects in women.

And for new mothers in particular, this research feels especially relevant. The postpartum period is marked by broken sleep, high stress, and heavy mental load.

Creatine won’t turn you into a genius overnight, but it could act as the buffer you want when life stretches your brain thin.²  

💬 What’s your go-to trick for clearing brain fog?

1  Outside of stress or sleep deprivation, the cognitive benefits are less consistent. Some studies show little to no effect in well-rested, low-stress conditions. And interestingly, at least one study showed no effects in young adults.

2  A bonus article with common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation, for those who are really eager.