Creatine, Resting Heart Rate and HRV

Training
1

I’ve recently been reading and watching a lot about creatine, so I thought I’d try it for the first time. I was particularly interested in the research around possible cognitive benefits, as well as potential recovery benefits.

I started taking it about 3–4 days after my A race, the Mallorca 312: a 312 km sportive with around 4,500 m of climbing.

Almost as soon as I started taking creatine, I noticed my HRV dropped from the mid/high 60s down into the 50s. My resting heart rate also increased from its usual 40–42 bpm to around 44–46 bpm.

Has anyone else who takes creatine noticed a similar trend, specifically an increase in resting heart rate and a reduction in HRV?

I realise this could just be residual fatigue from the event, but my HRV and resting heart rate were pretty normal for the first three days after the ride. The change seemed to happen on the day I started taking creatine.

I’m now two weeks post-event, and those metrics have remained lower than usual. Has anyone experienced anything similar?

I’m wondering if I should sack it off and see if those metrics return to normal.

2

How much creatine are you taking each day? How frequently, and in what amounts each time? And when do you take it (first thing in the morning, with a meal, before bed, etc.)? And what type of creatine?

3

I started off taking 10g in two doses. One with breakfast and one with lunch or an afternoon snack. I then noticed my HRV tanking so reduced that to just 5g with my breakfast to see if that helped (it didn’t). It’s creatine monohydrate.

4

I’ve experienced exactly the same effect. The only annoying part is that Garmin metrics are seemingly driven by HRV, so my watch is constantly telling me that I’m in a bad place!

I’ve been taking 5g daily for about 5 months. I did stop for a couple of weeks after the first month just to see if the creatine was the reason for my decreased HRV/increased RHR. my metrics returned to normal after about a week without supplements. I’m still unsure if I want to continue taking it long term.

5

I’ve been on creatine for about 6 months and I’m about to go off it after next Saturdays race. I’ll let you know if I see a drop in RHR and HRV. Yes my RHR has been up but I can’t blame it solely on creatine as there are many variables over that timeframe. I only have HRV since Feb 2026, so no historical data.

6

The standard recommendation I’ve seen for cyclists is 3-5g, so you may want to try taking even less. Also, did you increase your water intake as recommended?

I tried using it several years ago, but immediately gained weight and stopped, so I have no idea if these things impact HRV and RHR, just some thoughts around standard dosing for cyclists.

8

Did you find that your recovery was affected negatively as the metrics were suggesting?

I have been pretty tired but again that could quite easily have been the after effects of my race.

10

That recommendation is for the muscle gains yes. But there is more recent research that shows that taking more can help it build up in your brain as well which helps with cognition. Some quiet interesting research on that side of it.

I think I am going to stop taking it and see how much RHR and HRV are affected. I might try creatine again in the off season.

And yes I did increase my water intake.

11

No, physically I felt/feel fine. I know I shouldn’t be swayed by the readings from my watch, but mentally it’s been tough seeing body battery readings of 100% going from regular to rare occurrences. It’s actually quite scary how I’ve become attached to my Garmin metrics!