Speaker 1: 1:18

Shift work can be brutal, but it doesn't have to be. Welcome to a healthy shift. My name is Roger Sutherland, certified nutritionist, veteran law enforcement officer and 24-7 shift worker for almost four decades. Through this podcast, I aim to educate shift workers, using evidence-based methods, to not only survive the rigours of shift work, but thrive. My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love. Enjoy today's show and welcome back to another episode of a Healthy Shift Podcast. Me. I'm your host, roger Sutherland, former shift worker, well-being coach, and I'm going to call myself a big achiever and a big believer in helping shift workers to not just survive, but absolutely thrive in their shift working environment. Survive, but absolutely thrive in their shift working environment.

Speaker 1: 2:18

Today I really want to talk about I want to challenge you about what you might think about creatine, which is what I'm going to do. I talk about it a lot on my social media and it's time that it was actually addressed in a longer form so that I can literally explain it more. And today I'm going to talk all about creatine monohydrate. At the start, from the outset, I want to talk about the fact that we are talking about creatine monohydrate here, which is the cheapest form of creatine. Creatine's not expensive. Don't get sucked in by all of the different types of creatine that there is out on the market there. Just creatine monohydrate. Brands doesn't matter, just get creatine monohydrate, it's all the same thing. Now you might have heard that it's just for bodybuilders or young blokes smashing protein shakes, walking around in a stringer singlet in the gym, but creatine is so much more than that, especially if you are over 40 and working shifts and you're trying to stay sharp and strong. So let's get into it.

Speaker 1: 3:21

First of all, I want to talk about what is creatine. Now. Creatine is a compound that is made up of three amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. Your body makes creatine naturally, and you also get some from meat and from fish, so if you're vegetarian, you're probably not getting any at all. Once it's in your system, creatine is stored in your muscles and brain as phosphocreatine. Now what this does is it helps your cell to make quick energy, especially during stress, like sprinting, lifting or even thinking hard when you're running on no sleep. It is one of the most researched supplements on the planet. It is safe, it is cheap and it is very, very effective. You don't cycle on and off it. Once you start taking it, you take it every day forever.

Speaker 1: 4:22

So why should shift workers over 40 care about creatine? Well, as we age, and especially during shift work, things get so much harder Hormone levels change, muscle mass drops, brain fog creeps in. Hormone levels change, muscle mass drops, brain fog creeps in. And for females, menopause, males, low testosterone, poor sleep and it all starts to add up. Here's how creatine can really help For women, especially after menopause. It supports bone health by boosting bone mineral density and, combined with resistance training and we should all be doing that, all of us should be resistance training creatine helps to build and maintain lean tissue, which is muscle, and we all need that because we fall over. We want to be able to get up and off the chair and off the toilet without having to have chrome rails. Keep that in mind. It improves balance coordination and it also reduces the risk of falls. Now for men, creatine may support testosterone by increasing DHT, which is a more potent form linked to strength and recovery. Now, for everybody else, and for everyone, males and females creatine literally supports cognitive function, memory, focus and energy, which matters when you're trying to stay sharp.

Speaker 1: 5:47

At what time? 3am. Hello, shift workers. Now there is also new research around that creatine helps during extended periods of wakefulness. So let's talk about that, because I think this is something that's really, really important that people miss.

Speaker 1: 6:09

In 2024, a clinical trial was published in Scientific Reports, and researchers looked at what happens when healthy adults stay awake for 21 hours. Heaven forbid. They gave them a single high dose of creatine. Now, the dose that they gave them was 0.35 grams per kilogram of body weight and they tested their mental performance throughout the night. Now, 0.35, I'm going to tell you, if you weigh 90 kilos, you're taking 30 grams, approximately 30 grams of creatine. 30 grams, which is about 10 scoops, it's a lot, and you wouldn't want to be taking it all at the same time because it may upset your gut. But I'll talk about later on how we can actually take that.

Speaker 1: 7:00

Now, what was the result of the test? The creatine actually improved memory, processing speed and reaction time, even in the early morning hours. Now this is really important for us shift workers. It also helped to stabilise brain energy, it prevent drops in pH and it also protected against mental fatigue. The participants that took part also performed significantly better in logic, language and numeric tasks the kind of thinking that you rely on to stay safe and accurate as you are working during your long nights. Now this is a big deal, because creatine may help to protect your brain during extended periods of wakefulness, making it one of the few supplements that's not only safe and effective for shift workers facing sleep loss, but also for those bodybuilders. Now this isn't just about long-term benefits anymore, because this study also shows short-term effects as well. So what that means is, if you're not taking creatine and then you were to take a super dose, it also works that way as well, but you would have to be taking more, and if you're not used to taking it, it may very well cause gastric disturbance. So keep that in mind.

Speaker 1: 8:21

Now let's just look at some of the common myths and let's clear up the air around these, because this is really important. Myth number one is that creatine causes hair loss. Now I need to address this, because I've seen this written so many places. This idea came from one tiny little study and it has absolutely no substantial or solid evidence that supports it, and it's actually never been proven. It was correlation, not causation. The other thing is. Myth two is creatine is bad for your kidneys? Not in healthy people, multiple studies, even with that extremely high dose, shows no harm to kidney function at all. And the other myth is you've got to be a gym rat to take it. Nope, creatine benefits your muscles, bones and your brain. So whether you train hard or you just want to move better and think clearer, creatine is for you. The other thing that I need to be very clear for you is this, and that is how to take creatine.

Speaker 1: 9:31

Creatine is not something that you look at and you go oh yeah, I'm taking creatine because it's in my pre-workout. It's something that you need to take every single day, and you need to take five grams between three and five grams every single day, and that equates to about a teaspoon. So all you got to do is just mix it into water, mix it into juice, or you could even just mix it into your coffee and drink it. Take it every day, at any time. Just be consistent around creatine. That's all you got to do. Take it any time, but make sure you take it every day and be consistent daily, not just when it's in your pre-workout. So if you are targeting cognitive performance like you're going into a run of nights. Some people will go up to 10 grams a day, split into two doses. But always check with your doctor if you've got any other health conditions.

Speaker 1: 10:24

Just because I said it doesn't mean just go and do it. Have a chat with your doctor about it as well, or someone who totally understands creatine. But the research shows it's perfectly safe. So why does this actually matter for shift workers? You're up all hours, you're sleep deprived, you're trying to stay awake, you're making decisions, you're lifting patients, writing reports, responding to emergencies. Creatine can actually help to support you through all of that.

Speaker 1: 10:52

So let's just go through and recap. It improves muscle and bone strength, it protects brain function even during sleep deprivation, and it boosts mental sharpness when fatigue hits the hardest. And it's safe, it's affordable and it is literally backed by decades of research. So if you're over 40 and you're working shifts and you're feeling the drag, creatine is definitely worth a look. It's not magic, but it is one of the few supplements that is extremely well researched and is truly useful for what we do as a job. Whether you're dealing with menopause, aging, fatigue or you're just trying to feel better on night shift, this may very well help.

Speaker 1: 11:42

And if you want the references I mentioned. I'll just pop it into the show notes. So there's creatine. I highly recommend that every single person, particularly shift workers, takes creatine every single day and there's no need to cycle it. I'll catch you on the next episode. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released. It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on. If you want to know more about me or work with me, you can go to ahealthyshiftcom. I'll catch you on the next one.