I’m an energy-zapped mom who started supplementing with creatine and I wish I had started sooner

Low energy is something I have had to make peace with. Being a working mum with a high-spirited four-year-old who still wakes up at night means having to be switched on physically and mentally 24/7. With no respite, even at night when I should be resting, I already feel exhausted when I wake up.

Like many mums, I am constantly seeking natural ways to increase my energy levels, be it in the form of superfoods, supplements or an extra-strong flat white.

There is one supplement I have been meaning to try, which for some reason or another never got round to: creatine. I first heard about creatine in 2014 when I was studying to become a fitness instructor, and yet it has taken me 12 years to start taking it.

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Creatine is a naturally occurring substance that’s found in red meat and fish, and which your body also produces itself. It gets stored in your muscles and provides an immediate source of energy, useful for short bursts of activity, like sprinting to the bus stop or testing your one-rep max.

Back in the 2010s, there wasn’t as much scientific research about creatine as there is now—in fact, it is now the most researched supplement—and so because of this, I hesitated about taking it.

However, eight weeks ago, after another night of interrupted sleep, I finally bit the bullet and bought a tub of creatine monohydrate powder (blue raspberry flavour, the most delicious thing I have ever tasted). And the results have astounded me.

I have taken the recommended dose of 5g every day, mixed with 200ml of water. I didn’t worry about when I consumed it—research has shown that timing makes no difference to its effectiveness.

After just two weeks, I finally broke through a plateau I had been experiencing for months with several strength exercises at the gym. The only thing I had changed was adding creatine to my supplement regimen. Eight weeks later, I had doubled the weight I could lift for rear delt flyes and lateral raises; and added 12.5kg to my barbell hip thrust and 15kg to my barbell Romanian deadlift.

To make sure I wasn’t imagining things, I sought the advice of qualified personal trainer and founder of the Power of Mum fitness app, Nicole Chapman.

“I am fairly sceptical about supplements because most are overhyped and underdeliver,” Chapman tells Fit&Well. “Creatine is one of the few that has stood the test of time and has a substantial body of research behind it.

“What I like about creatine is that it supports something very fundamental: your body’s ability to produce energy. It can help you train harder, recover better and build strength more effectively. For busy mums this matters. If you are carving out 20 to 30 minutes to exercise between school runs, work and everything else, you want that effort to count.”

It isn’t just at the gym where I have felt a difference. I often experience brain fog and memory issues, which I put down to a mixture of mum brain and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the condition formerly known as PCOS. A month into taking creatine, my memory felt sharper and my cognition clearer, which has shown in the quality of my work.

I feel less snappy and irritable with my husband and son, and the depression I usually experience in the week leading up to my period has not been there for the last two cycles. I am feeling stronger mentally and physically.

There’s research that supports my experience too. A paper published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in March 2025 states that creatine shows promise for improving women’s health during multiple life stages, including pregnancy, the postpartum period and menopause.

“What makes creatine particularly interesting for women is that we naturally tend to store less creatine than men and emerging research suggests its benefits may extend well beyond muscle,” says Chapman. “Supplementation may also support cognitive function, memory and mental performance, particularly during periods of sleep deprivation, which is prevalent in motherhood.”

As with any supplement, it takes time for creatine to build up in your system before you feel its benefits. Always speak to your GP before starting a new supplement to make sure there are no contraindications with any health conditions or medicines you take.