By Clarissa Brincat, Sep 16, 2025
“There is very little evidence supporting the use of lettuce water for sleep,” says Dimitriu. Lettuce contains extremely small amounts of two substances called lactucin and lactucopicrin, which are thought to have a mildly calming and sleep-inducing effect. “But there are very few studies supporting this, and none have been conducted in humans,” he cautions.
By Jessica Migala, Sep 13, 2025
Overall, “melatonin supplements may lead to weight loss,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, who is double-board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California. One big caveat: “Most of this research is from rat studies, and the doses of melatonin tested have been quite high,” Dr. Dimitriu says. What this tells us is that melatonin is not a supplement that should be used for weight loss. However, preliminary research suggests that you don’t necessarily need to worry that melatonin itself will cause weight gain, if this is a supplement you choose to take under your doctor’s recommendations.
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By Elizabeth Millard, Sep 5, 2025
This effect, known colloquially as “bipolar eyes,” doesn’t happen to everyone and isn’t considered a hallmark symptom of the condition. However, it may be noticeable during a manic episode for some, says the psychiatrist Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in California, and a medical reviewer at Everyday Health. “‘Bipolar eyes’ is a nonclinical term used to describe the look of someone in a manic episode, where the eyes convey excess energy or excitement,” he says. But, changes in eye appearance are just one potential part of a bigger picture when it comes to diagnosing and managing bipolar disorder.
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By Kendra Cherry, Sep 3, 2025
“The Egyptian sleep method involves sleeping under a damp sheet, which cools off from evaporation,” explains Alex Dimitriu, MD, psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. Because water absorbs heat as it evaporates, your body temperature drops as the water gradually evaporates. Some variations of this method suggest sleeping in minimal (or no) clothing. Another alternative is to wear a damp T-shirt to bed. For the best results, make sure that your bedroom is well-ventilated to avoid trapping excess humidity. He notes that sleeping under a wet cloth isn’t always the most desirable option, but it *can* be helpful in some cases. “If you are sleeping in a really hot environment, with no other options, it might be worth a go. Just don’t over-wet the sheet!” he says.
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By Chantelle Lee, Aug 29, 2025
Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor in Menlo Park, Calif., says that dreams of feeling unprepared can stem from stress in your day-to-day life. But dreaming specifically about feeling unprepared at school, he says, could be because those are such formative years in people’s lives. “For a lot of us, school is really the first time that we got that feeling of stressful non-preparation,” he says. “In a situation where your stress as an adult is triggered by work or some other scenario, those are very powerful memories of effectively the first experiences of being unprepared or late or missing something.”
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By John Loeppky, Aug 26, 2025
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, that sleep deprivation has been directly linked to severe concerns including increased rates of depression and suicidality. Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, says that while the effects may not be immediately obvious to other people, the mental health impacts of poor sleep can be heavy for those experiencing them.
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By Claire Wolters, Aug 25, 2025
Doctors and researchers generally recommend that adults sleep seven to eight hours at night. Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, says that younger adults may need more sleep than older adults, but not by much. Recommended increases are closer to a few minutes than a few hours and “will likely fall into the seven to eight hour range,” he adds. While not everyone needs a full eight hours of sleep, Dimitriu encourages people to aim for the higher end of the range in order to confidently lock in their Zs.
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By Melissa Rudy, Jul 30, 2025
Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor who is founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, was not involved in the research but commented on the findings. “The more general message here is that there is a benefit to measuring sleep objectively, and looking at more than just the total sleep time,” he told Fox News Digital.
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By Macy Alcido, Jul 29, 2025
While taking any medication, it’s important to use caution when drinking alcohol, says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a double board-certified specialist in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. Dr. Dimitriu specifically recommends limiting alcohol intake when taking methylphenidate. “Alcohol is a sedative, while Ritalin is a stimulant. When taken together, they can work in opposing directions on the cardiovascular system and the nervous system,” notes Dr. Dimitriu. “Ritalin may mask intoxication from alcohol and result in increased consumption, which can be dangerous,” he explains.
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By Diana Bruk, Jul 29, 2025
“EMDR [eye movement desensitization and reprocessing] is a type of trauma therapy where patients move their eyes left and right repeatedly, in essence to calm the body while they’re processing traumatic memories,” Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist, told The Post.
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By Erica Sweeney, Jul 28, 2025
“This research is very relevant, as so many people will try supplements before they ever even seek professional help,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine physician and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California.
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By Caroline Bologna, Jul 25, 2025
“Words are powerful. I always tell my patients to be careful with the ‘mantras’ you say to yourself each day,” said Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who’s double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California. “My concern is that when you say something enough, you can start to believe it. In that regard, ‘de-clinicalizing,’ or giving anxiety a gentler, even more playful name can certainly take the bite out of it.”
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By Stephanie Booth, Jul 24, 2025
For starters, “women are more likely to have the inattentive version of ADHD, which can sometimes be confused with anxiety, forgetfulness, and disorganization,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified psychiatrist in Menlo Park, CA. Even the hyperactive type of ADHD may manifest differently in girls than boys. Instead of physical restlessness, they’re more likely to quietly internalize their symptoms. That can show up as being “over-sensitive,” finding it hard to regulate emotions, and struggling to stay on task or one train of thought.
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By Alexandra Frost, Jul 22, 2025
“A vast number of patients in my practice have benefited from work we have done to catch ‘the stories’ that we tell ourselves, and realize what is real, and what is made up,” said Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who’s double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California. People with anxiety aren’t always great at playing the long game, Dimitriu said. “With this loss of nuanced thinking and tendency towards hurried solutions, people with anxiety are bad at holding a course — when that is exactly what is needed for most interventions to work,” he said. “People with anxiety get ‘stuck,’ because they overthink and question everything, and don’t have the patience to work on a solution that may take time — they give up too easily, or they are too doubtful to start.” Dimitriu said you need to stick with something at least two months to see if it helps.
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In this enlightening episode of Beyond Trauma, Lara Land is joined by Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a double board-certified expert in psychiatry and sleep medicine, to explore the powerful intersection between trauma, mental health, and sleep. Together, they unpack how trauma disrupts our ability to rest and regulate, why sleep is often the first casualty in a dysregulated nervous system, and how healing the mind and body requires a truly integrated approach.
Whether you’re dealing with disrupted sleep, chronic fatigue, or just want to understand your brain and body better, this episode offers a powerful blend of science, psychology, and practical tools for getting truly restorative rest.
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