Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine
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How to manage sleep apnea while traveling — experts share what to prep and pack

By Becky George, Apr 19, 2026

“Travel should be no different from home,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, double-board certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. “My patients do best when they sleep in a similar position as at home, with the CPAP on the same side. “You can also use an extra pillow placed vertically at the headboard of your bed to hold the CPAP hose up and away from your face.”

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What ‘Emotional Flooding’ Really Means—And How to Handle It

By Angela Haupt, Apr 10, 2026

Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist in Menlo Park, Calif., says the body’s baseline state plays an essential role. He uses a skiing metaphor with his patients: Your psychology is your technique, and your biology is the slope. “When the terrain is gentle, almost anyone can stay upright,” he says. “But when the slope steepens—through poor sleep, chronic stress, hormonal shifts, or untreated anxiety—even the best technique falls apart.” Research supports his point: After even one night of poor sleep, the brain’s amygdala overreacts to negative stimuli by about 60%.

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Can Eating More Fiber Help You Sleep Better?

By Kelsey Kloss, Apr 10, 2026

The gut-brain connection is the network of nerves that allows your brain to communicate directly with your digestive system. Fiber helps promote this dialogue by producing short-chain fatty acids that help regulate sleep-inducing neurotransmitters, says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified sleep medicine doctor and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California. This explains why a healthy gut microbiome helps maintain a stable circadian rhythm in the body, says Dr. Dimitriu.
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When We Trust Wearables More Than Our Own Bodies

By Sarah Campise Hallier, Apr 9, 2026

A growing phenomenon known as orthosomnia describes this pattern: people become so focused on improving their sleep metrics that the stress of doing so begins to interfere with sleep itself. Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a double board-certified physician in psychiatry and sleep medicine, told The Epoch Times that he often sees patients caught in this cycle. “Sleep really does best with space, calm, and regularity,” Dimitriu said. “The more you obsess, stress, and fixate on sleep, the worse it can get.”
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ADHD And Autism Misinformation Is Spreading On Social Media—How To Find Trusted Mental Health Information

By Jessica Rendall, Apr 8, 2026

Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, says that in recent years there’s been a sharp increase in ADHD diagnoses in adults who were never diagnosed as children. The same is true for autism, which exists on a spectrum and has a wide range of associated challenges and strengths. “Autism self-identification has grown even faster, particularly among adults who were never evaluated as children,” says Dr. Dimitriu. This increase in demand for relatable content may fuel the fire of misinformation.

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Stop doing this one thing the second you wake up to end morning grogginess for good, say experts

By Eve Davies, Apr 5, 2026

“It’s generally beneficial to wake up gradually without a sudden start that jolts you awake,” says board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist Dr. Alex Dimitriu. “This matters because if you learn to go from sleep to wide awake in under a minute, your body learns to jolt itself awake with any disturbance, and this can mess up sleep at night.” The Stanford-trained sleep physician explains that “creating a repeating habit of waking up and grabbing your phone immediately […] trains you to wake and go, which can make falling back asleep harder.”

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Depression Treatment: When to Consider TMS or Ketamine for Partial Response

By Elizabeth Millard, Apr 3, 2026

“Unlike antidepressants that target serotonin and dopamine, ketamine increases synaptic plasticity, essentially helping the brain rewire and form new connections quickly,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in California, and a medical reviewer for Everyday Health. “When someone feels horrible or is not responding to antidepressants, this type of rewiring can be helpful.”

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Depression Treatment: How to Add ‘Booster’ Meds Without Breaking the Bank

By Elizabeth Millard, Apr 1, 2026

Which you choose will depend on what issues need to be resolved, says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in California and a medical reviewer for Everyday Health. “Common examples include aripiprazole or lithium to stabilize mood, or thyroid hormone to improve metabolic efficiency,” he says. “We also use stimulants or wakefulness-promoting agents if fatigue and brain fog are problematic. Hypnotics or sleep aids can improve sleep. Bupropion is also often used to improve energy and motivation.”

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2 to 3 Cups of Coffee Daily May Help Lower Stress, Improve Mental Health

By Mandy French, Mar 30, 2026

“These findings are consistent with the pharmacologic effects of caffeine, in addition to the possible benefits of polyphenols in coffee,” said Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. Dimitriu was not involved in the study. “A moderate amount of coffee has the benefit of boosting mood, energy, and resilience to stress. Keep in mind that in most studies, a cup is considered an 8-oz cup, which typically has about 80 to 100 milligrams (mg) of caffeine. Do not interpret the results of this study to drink 2 to 3 20-oz cups per day,” he told Healthline.

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Why ‘Better’ Isn’t Enough: Bridging the Remission Gap in Depression Treatment

By Elizabeth Millard, Mar 25, 2026

What Is Response? Response to treatment means you’re feeling notably better, says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in California and a medical reviewer for Everyday Health. That can be quantified in several different ways, including your own perceptions about how you feel and observations from your therapist. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) are frequently used, validated tools that can give a snapshot of depression severity.

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4 Questions to Ask Your Doctor When Your Depression Treatment Stops Progressing

By Elizabeth Millard, Mar 24, 2026

That doesn’t necessarily mean your treatment has stopped working, but it may need to be adjusted. To help your doctor figure out what’s going on, it’s a good idea to keep track of your symptoms, says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in California and a medical reviewer for Everyday Health. Include what symptoms you’re having, how often you have them, and how long they last.

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Is Your OSA Treatment Working?

By Stephanie Booth, Mar 2026

“Untreated OSA is strongly linked to increased cardiovascular risk, hypertension, and cognitive impairment,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a sleep medicine doctor and psychiatrist in Menlo Park, California. “Put more simply, poor sleep is terrible for your brain and your body, as well as your moods.” When your doctor diagnoses you with OSA, they’ll likely suggest you start using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Dimitriu says this portable device is the gold standard for treating the condition. “[A CPAP] provides additional air to support your airway and prevent it from collapsing during sleep,” he says.

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Why That ‘Drama Queen’ in Your Life Could Make You Age Faster

By Mandy French, Mar 13, 2026

“We resonate with people, and when someone creates problems, ideally, we would leave such a situation,” said Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, who was not involved in the study. “Dealing with a hassler definitely takes a toll on mental health, and I see that in my work every day,” Dimitriu told Healthline. The researchers then examined the association between having “hasslers” in your life and biological aging.

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5 trendy sleep products experts say to skip — and what to try instead

By Kinsley Searles, Mar 12, 2026

Subjectively, the Reviews team loves sunrise alarm clocks for their soothing warm light, and our testers have reported feeling refreshed while using them, so we’re glad to see that our experience is backed by the experts. Dimitriu said that morning light at 300 lux — a standard level of illumination — can improve morning alertness, sleep quality, and sleep inertia (the feeling of being sleepy after waking up). Plus, the light can help late risers wake up a bit earlier.

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Should You Lower Your Bedroom Temperature for Better Heart Health?

By Julia Ries Wexler, Mar 12, 2026

The number on your thermostat might be important for more than just your comfort. A recent study in the journal BMC Medicine linked hot nights to a string of negative health issues, including altered stress responses and changes in heart rates.  “While a cool bedroom was always considered a comfort, this report points out that it may be much more essential to cardiac health than previously thought,” said Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine physician and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine.

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MENLO PARK PSYCHIATRY & SLEEP MEDICINE

CONDITIONS TREATED: Anxiety, Depression, Attention Deficit Disorder, Insomnia, Bipolar Disorder, and Treatment Resistant Depression

REGIONS COVERED: We serve clients of the Bay Area, including the communities of Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Los Altos, Mountain View, Portola Valley, Atherton, Sunnyvale, and San Jose

Phone 650-326-5888
Address 1225 Crane Street, Suite 205
Menlo Park, CA 94025
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