Today we answer another common question for Creatine beginners: does Creatine make you thirsty? The answer is yes, but the whys and hows are in the article below.
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Many people use creatine as a power-boosting and muscle-gaining supplement. However, users frequently get thirsty and stop in the middle of creatine loading. It is common to be concerned about questions such as “Does taking creatine cause dehydration” or “how much water should I drink taking creatine.”
People who take creatine supplements also report common symptoms of dehydration. If you are a new creatine user and concerned about its working and influence on your body, keep reading this article.
Creatine And Water
Studies have shown that creatine increases lean muscle mass. It draws water into muscles and helps in the growth of muscle fiber. Creatine also helps slow muscle breakdown and prevent muscle degeneration as people age.
Creatine helps improve the muscular storage of energy in the form of creatine phosphate. It allows your muscles for quick energy production, ideal for short but intense exercise.
When you first start taking creatine, your pharmacist will tell you to increase your water intake. Creatine and water are an ideal combination for high-intensity training and other levels of fitness training. Maintaining proper hydration when taking creatine helps ensure safety and prevent your body from losing its functioning.
Does Creatine cause bloating?
Many people also believe in various myths about creatine water retention. Some say that creatine could cause weight gain and bloating caused by increased water intake, and the weight gain is not from actual muscle. However, these myths are not true.
People who take creatine get fuller-looking muscles in a short amount of time. This is what made creatine famous among fitness enthusiasts in the first place. Yes, Creatine causes water retention, but it does not harm your body.
Creatine monohydrate causes an osmotic effect in the muscle tissue in which the muscle tissue attracts and retains small amounts of water. Water retention caused by creatine can benefit your body because it helps in muscle hydration and protein synthesis.
Does Creatine Dehydrate Your Body?
Yes, Creatine does cause a dehydration effect on the body, but it does not cause actual dehydration.
Creatine is produced in our bodies. However, some people take creatine supplements to increase muscle growth and bulk. Creatine causes your muscles to take up water, and naturally that can make you thirsty.
Many people say that as soon as they take creatine, they drink tons of water, but still, their body becomes dehydrated. It happens because creatine draws water from interstitial sources, especially the areas outside muscles and between the organs.
It is common to feel the symptoms of dehydration as creatine works by increasing the amount of water that your muscle tissue can retain. After taking creatine for a few weeks, you will experience weight gain.
According to a 2006 study, the short-term use of creatine doesn’t cause dehydration. However, doing a high-intensity workout and losing water due to sweating may be the reason behind your dehydration. Some studies state that creatine can contribute to dehydration and heatstroke in some people.
You should drink sufficient water when taking creatine as you can experience muscle cramps because of dehydration. You can also maintain low-carb diets as carbohydrates also contribute to dehydration.
You might like to read: How Long Does Creatine Stay In Your System?
How Much Water Should I Drink On Creatine?
An average person drinks 6 to 8 cups of water daily. Have you thought about how much water should I drink while on creatine?
Try adding 8 to 10 cups of water to your regular daily water intake.
Weightlifters on creatine tend to drink 15 to 18 cups of water in a day. It is almost double the water intake of a normal healthy person. Increasing daily water intake is essential as all the water is pulled from the bloodstream and transported to the muscles due to the action of creatine.
When on creatine loading, staying hydrated helps prevent the side effects of dehydration, including thirst, headaches, weakness, and muscle cramps. However, you should also avoid overhydration. You should take sufficient water to balance your body’s water levels.
You can try drinking a small cup of water when you feel thirsty. If you already drink plenty of water, you should pay attention to how much water you are drinking.
Our body consists of 73% of water, and when most of the water is being transported to the muscles, the rest of the body will obviously experience a lack of water. Due to less water available in your body, you will constantly feel thirsty.
Other Reasons Why You Feel More Thirsty While On Creatine
When you start taking creatine, it gets stored in muscles and draws water into it, and less water will be available for the rest of your body. However, creatine is not the only factor that contributes to making you feel thirsty. Some other reasons can also cause dehydration.
Other reasons that can make you thirsty include:
- You are not taking sufficient water intake. Most people don’t care much about their water intake in the first place. They drink water but not enough that they require.
- Young age. Younger people feel more symptoms of dehydration as their body develops and experiences hormonal changes.
- When you take higher doses of creatine or multiple supplements, you probably experience more dehydration. The amount of creatine you take determines the water retention in the tissue. When you start taking creatine, you take more creatine in the first week to get your body used to it.
- Carbs in the diet. Carbohydrates with creatine help in maintaining higher workout intensity, but they can also increase the need for water for your muscles and body.
- HIIT exercises will make you sweat more due to heat. The longer you train, the more you need water to fill the loss caused by sweating.
You might like to read: Does Creatine Cause Shrinkage?
How Does Alcohol Consumption Nullify The Effects of Creatine?
When you know how much water should you drink a day on creatine, you can get desirable results. However, you should also consider more things to minimize water loss while taking creatine.
Your pharmacist or fitness trainer will instruct you to take 3 to 5 grams of creatine every day to boost your performance. It is easier for people to get this amount by adding meat to their diet. However, people who don’t eat meat can use creatine supplements that help create a more balanced diet.
However, you should avoid drinking alcohol and other substances while taking creatine as it has a negative effect on muscle movement. It slows the movement of calcium into muscles and causes muscle contraction that prevents you from getting suitable effects of creatine.
Alcohol decreases the absorption of nutrients in our body, such as protein and amino acids. With fewer nutrients, your muscles experience negative effects during exercise because your muscles can become prone to injury and fatigue. It also diminishes the recovery time after exercise.
Alcohol takes water away, and your water intake can become insufficient, causing you to suffer from the symptoms of dehydration.
Answers To Other Questions People Have About Creatine
Why should I take creatine supplements?
Creatine is a kind of amino acid naturally found in our skeletal muscles. The liver, pancreas, and kidneys produce creatine, and muscles store it as phosphocreatine. The prime function of creatine is to provide the muscles energy and build more muscles.
According to a study, 1 to 3 grams of creatine every day will help to replace your muscles that have been damaged due to exercise. Most people receive energy for building muscle from eating meat and seafood.
Creatine supplements are another option available for you to build up muscles. Many athletes use the supplement to help build new muscle during the rest periods after intense exercising.
What are the health benefits Of Creatine?
Taking creatine has many benefits. Athletes take it during high-intensity training or exercise.
Some benefits of creatine include:
It supports muscle development and boosts muscle energy. It helps grow muscle fibers that increase muscle training endurance. You can work out longer and get explosive results with more muscle training endurance.
It is useful for brain function and muscle-related conditions. Creatine helps boost memory and the immune system.
It is an excellent way to receive enough protein for vegetarians and vegans in their diet.
It helps prevent loss of muscle mass from aging. Creatine helps slow down muscle breakdown and keep you in good shape.
It helps reduce the risk of injury and fatigue. Creatine helps provide your muscle with enough nutrients, water, and energy that help prevent injuries due to exhaustion.
It also improves your motivation. Seeing a quick favorable impact from taking a creatine supplement will encourage you and boost your motivation.
Creatine helps you maximize training as it helps increase muscle size, strength, and stamina.
A Few Final Words
Creatine helps build muscle and provides additional energy for high-intensity training. Athletes use this supplement to improve their performance.
If you want to know how much water should you drink on creatine, you should add an extra 8 to 10 cups of water to your daily water intake and drink water throughout your day and training.
You should increase your water intake slowly. You should not drink all the water at once; make a schedule for drinking water throughout the day. Before using creatine, you should ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you choose the reputable and best creatine monohydrate brand.
We hope this article clarified all your doubts about Creatine and water intake, but if you still have queries, please post them in the comments section below.