By Reda Wigle, May 30, 2025

Sleep experts have some thoughts on why puppy paws may pave the way to slumberland. “If this position reduces anxious thoughts about sleep, it may be a helpful distraction,” psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, told The Post. “Anything that has a calming effect, and takes your mind off of the ‘why can’t I fall asleep!??!’ type of thinking is helpful.”

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By Sarah Sheppard, May 30, 2025

Though ADHD and depression can be diagnosed separately or together, says Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, it’s better to treat one condition at a time. Even though ADHD can cause depression and stimulants like Adderall can help with symptoms of both conditions, it’s often best to treat the depression first, Dr. Dimitriu explains. Once mood is regulated, cognitive function can be evaluated.

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By Anna Smith Haghighi, May 14, 2025

Painsomnia is not a medical diagnosis. Patients first assigned the name to the condition, describing the struggles they have sleeping with chronic pain. Alex Dimitriu, MD, psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California and a medical reviewer for Everyday Health, defines painsomnia as “insomnia that is caused by pain. This can mean trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, waking up too often, or waking up too early in the night. But how exactly does sleep quality affect pain? The answer lies in several biological processes that can be affected by poor sleep and lead to worsening of pain symptoms.

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By Julia Ries, May 6, 2025

By Randy Magnuson, Apr 22, 2025

Per the Food and Drug Administration, around nine out of every ten prescriptions filled in the US are for generic drugs. What makes them so popular? The big draw for generics is that they’re often less expensive. A large chunk of any drug’s cost comes from the research and testing required to prove that it works and is safe for consumers. Generic drugs require much less testing, since their reference product already proved its safety and efficacy, so they typically cost 80–85% less than their brand-name counterparts. 

Everything else is pretty much identical. The FDA requires that generic drugs have the exact same active ingredient, strength, dosage form (tablet, liquid, etc.), and route of administration (oral, topical, injectable, etc.) as the brand-name medication. So when a generic version of Trintellix comes out, it will work exactly the same way as Trintellix. “Besides increasing serotonin levels (as all SSRIs do), Trintellix also acts directly on serotonin receptors, like the 5HT1A/B—which may improve cognition,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “It also blocks 5HT3 serotonin receptors, which may help with nausea and also add benefits to mood.”

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By Beth Ann Mayer, Apr 18, 2025

“Late meals or even late snacks can result in elevated metabolism during the night, which can interfere with slow-wave sleep,” explains Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified doctor in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “Slow-wave sleep is sort of the holy grail of cognition and brain health overall. During slow-wave sleep, toxins are cleared from the brain, and new memories are consolidated.”

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By Jenny McGrath and Suzy Hernandez, Apr, 15, 2025

“Light sleepers may want as few distractions and artificial light as possible,” said Alex Dimitriu, MD, the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. “Deep sleepers may want an alarm that is loud or gradually loud, possibly with light or a sunrise simulator to facilitate waking up from a deep slumber.”

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