Entries by Melissa Chefec

A Scientists’ Guide to Better Sleep

Jamie Friedlander, Apr 12, 2019 Create a space you’re happy to spend time in Room colors should generally be soothing and create a relaxed atmosphere in the bedroom. It should be a comfortable, cozy den, with colors, furniture, bedding, and soft lighting that make the space special for you. You have to love your bedroom. — […]

These Sleep-Inducing Drinks Are Like Zzz’s In a Bottle

By Molly Longman | Mar 30, 2019 But before you start chugging one nightly, know this: These drinks can help you drift off, but you should switch back to plain water every third night so your body can practice snoozing naturally, suggests Alex Dimitriu, M.D., founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California. “As with all sleep-inducing aids or supplements, […]

A Patient’s Guide to Pregnancy Insomnia

By Elaine K. Howley, March 29, 2019 Insomnia is the state of not being able to sleep or having inadequate or poor quality of sleep. Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a sleep medicine specialist who’s double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, says insomnia occurs in about 20 […]

Fatal Familial Insomnia: Signs, Symptoms, Treatments

By Elaine K. Howley, Contributor March 27, 2019 Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a sleep medicine specialist who’s double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, says that “people with fatal familial insomnia develop this inability to sleep. This goes on for a couple of months and ends in […]

5 Signs Your Child Isn’t Ready For A Sibling, According To Experts

By Jacqueline Burt Cote, March 26, 2019 “The question of having more children should truly be founded in the stability and happiness of the current state of affairs,” Dr. Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a California-based psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, tells Romper. “If everyone is happy, learning, and interacting well, then truly it […]

It’s More Than Just Your Brain — These Are the Physical Symptoms of Depression

March 20, 2019 by CHRISTINA STIEHL “There are other physical manifestations of depression that people may confuse with chronic pain. Psychiatrist Alex Dimitriu, MD, said that the lack of sleep and overall fatigue associated with depression can make bodily aches and pains feel worse. “There is some evidence that depression may also be a state of heightened […]

Sleep Restriction Therapy for Insomnia: Can Spending Less Time in Bed Help You Sleep More?

By Dr. Alex Dimitriu, March 12, 2019 Insomniacs know all about good sleep hygiene. They’ve lowered the temperature in the bedroom, hung room-darkening shades, eliminated nicotine, caffeine, and liquids before bedtime, taken warm baths, and banished electronic devices from the bedroom. Many have tried prescription sleeping pills but were groggy the next day. Natural relaxation […]

9 Common Things That Can Make You Feel Hungover (That Aren’t Alcohol)

By Eva Taylor Grant, 3/12/19 “Certain medications, taken for sleep, can also cause next day sedation or headaches,” Alex Dimitriu, M.D., double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, tells Bustle. If your doctor prescribes sleep medicine to you, make sure you read the side effects. And if you’re […]

5 ways to fall asleep faster, according to sleep doctors

March 11, 2019, By Wendy Rose Gould You’ve heard this advice ad nauseum, but there’s a reason meditation has been prescribed to treat the human condition since roughly 1500 BCE. “The art of falling asleep is actually not trying so hard,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who’s board-certified in both psychiatry and sleep medicine. “Knowing how to clear your […]

A Patient’s Guide to Insomnia

By Elaine K. Howley, Contributor, 3/11/19 As awful as sleeplessness might feel, if there is strength in numbers, then you can take some small comfort in the fact that you’re far from alone. “The data shows that between 20 and 30 percent of people will be affected with insomnia during the course of their lives,” […]

CBD and Insomnia: What You Need to Know

By Mary Sauer, February 27, 2019 “One mechanism by which CBD works may be through a general calming of the nervous system,” explains Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “Cannabis strains will differ in the ratio of CBD to THC, and additional substances, […]

Sleeping In On the Weekend Doesn’t Make Up for Lost Sleep During Week

Written by Kimberly Holland on February 27, 2019 “Sleep debt can increase depressive symptoms, worsen anxiety, lead to substance use, cause weight gain and slow metabolism, worsen inflammation, and impair memory,” Dr. Alex Dimitriu, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, told Healthline. Click HERE for the full […]

Natural Sleep Remedies: Do They Work?

By Dr. Alex Dimitriu, February 21, 2019 We all have occasional trouble sleeping. Stress, anxiety, a change in routine, something we ate, …any number of things might be responsible for a night of restless tossing and turning. For most of us, bouts of insomnia are of short duration. But for many millions of people, sleepless […]

Coping with Agitated Depression and “Rockstar” Histories

Millions of people experience episodes of depression every year, making it one of our most common mental disorders. Although its symptoms may look similar, clinical depression differs in its intensity and duration from the ordinary sadness that we all experience from time to time. Sadness triggered by a loss, disappointment, or a major life change […]

Is It Unhealthy to Sleep with a Baby Blanket or Stuffed Animal As an Adult?

By Gabrielle Kassel | Feb 13, 2019 “If you decide you need or want to break up with Teddy, good news: Everyone is capable of sleeping naturally. If it has become unhealthy, overcoming that habit is just a matter of being patient as you re-train yourself, says Dimitriu. He encourages his patients to practice sleeping on their […]

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