--- title: "Pseudoephedrine and Improved Thinking | Sutter Health" description: "This past two years my brain seemed very foggy and I've had a lot of memory problems. Yet when I take pseudoephedrine for a sinus headache, it not only clears my sinuses, it causes me to be able to think very clearly and I have improved memory. Why?" url: "/ask-an-expert/answers/pseudoephedrine-improved-thinking-1051061141" --- 1. Home / 2. Pseudoephedrine and Improved Thinking # Pseudoephedrine and Improved Thinking * * * Medically reviewed by - Catherine A. Madison, M.D. ## Question This past two years my brain seemed very foggy and I've had a lot of memory problems. Yet when I take pseudoephedrine for a sinus headache, it not only clears my sinuses, it causes me to be able to think very clearly and I have improved memory. Why? ## Answer Good question. Pseudoephedrine belongs to a group of medicines that act as decongestants by constricting small blood vessels in the nasal passages. Thus, less inflammation and congestion as the sinus tissue settles down a bit. It may improve thinking by improving breathing and sleep. Sinus problems are associated with sleep disorders, particularly obstructive sleep apnea. When using pseudoephedrine you may be sleeping more soundly at night and that is directly associated with improved thinking and memory. There are many others, though, who find the nervousness caused by pseudoephedrine causes them to lose sleep resulting in a ‘foggy brain'. I would suggest looking at your sinus condition in greater detail and assuring good sleep to improve brain health now and in the future. ## Explore related topics Brain health and memorySleep ## Related questions View all questions - Health Q&A ### Alzheimer's Symptoms I'm concerned that my 75-year-old mother may be showing signs of early Alzheimer's. 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View all questions ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/pseudoephedrine-improved-thinking-1051061141#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pseudoephedrine and Improved Thinking"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalWebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/pseudoephedrine-improved-thinking-1051061141#medicalwebpage","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/pseudoephedrine-improved-thinking-1051061141","name":"Pseudoephedrine and Improved Thinking","description":"Good question. Pseudoephedrine belongs to a group of medicines that act as decongestants by constricting small blood vessels in the nasal passages.","inLanguage":"en-US","medicalAudience":{"@type":"MedicalAudience","audienceType":"Patient"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/pseudoephedrine-improved-thinking-1051061141#breadcrumblist"},"mainEntity":{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/pseudoephedrine-improved-thinking-1051061141#question","name":"Pseudoephedrine and Improved Thinking","text":"This past two years my brain seemed very foggy and I've had a lot of memory problems. Yet when I take pseudoephedrine for a sinus headache, it not only clears my sinuses, it causes me to be able to think very clearly and I have improved memory. Why?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/pseudoephedrine-improved-thinking-1051061141#answer","text":"Good question. Pseudoephedrine belongs to a group of medicines that act as decongestants by constricting small blood vessels in the nasal passages. Thus, less inflammation and congestion as the sinus tissue settles down a bit. It may improve thinking by improving breathing and sleep. Sinus problems are associated with sleep disorders, particularly obstructive sleep apnea. When using pseudoephedrine you may be sleeping more soundly at night and that is directly associated with improved thinking and memory. There are many others, though, who find the nervousness caused by pseudoephedrine causes them to lose sleep resulting in a ‘foggy brain'. I would suggest looking at your sinus condition in greater detail and assuring good sleep to improve brain health now and in the future.","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/pseudoephedrine-improved-thinking-1051061141","author":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/pseudoephedrine-improved-thinking-1051061141#expert"}}},"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization"},"reviewedBy":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/pseudoephedrine-improved-thinking-1051061141#expert"}} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/pseudoephedrine-improved-thinking-1051061141#expert","name":"Catherine A. Madison","honorificSuffix":"M.D."} ```