Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine
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This Is How Much Sleep You Need to Lower Your Type 2 Diabetes Risk

By Mandy French, Mar 3, 2026

“What a great study, and so good to see further evidence that the myth of 8 hours of sleep is too much. This supports a prior studyTrusted Source between the U.K. and China, which also showed 7 hours to be optimal for mental health and cognitive performance,” 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. “In the end, our lives exist on a spectrum between sleep and wake — too much sleep is often linked to illness and depression, while too little sleep is linked to anxiety and insomnia. Our autonomic nervous system sets this balance, and here we see additional support for an optimal balance — around 7 hours of sleep.”

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Clearing the Mist: How to Treat Bipolar Brain Fog Without Destabilizing Your Mood

By Elizabeth Millard, Feb 25, 2026

It can be an effect of the disorder itself, of medications used to manage bipolar, or sometimes both, says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist in private practice and a medical reviewer for Everyday Health. “Patients frequently describe this as ‘cognitive dulling,’ where processing speed slows down and focus becomes difficult to maintain,” he explains. Here’s a look at contributing factors, along with strategies that may help clear the mist.

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Which Magnesium Is Best for Sleep? Your Guide for Types and Usage

By Elizabeth Millard, Feb 23, 2026

Magnesium is a natural mineral that plays a role in hundreds of bodily functions, including muscle relaxation and nervous system regulation, which is why it can be helpful as a sleep aid, says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California. “Magnesium works by activating certain receptors in the nervous system for a calming effect and blocking others that are excitatory,” Dr. Dimitriu explains. It also enhances melatonin production, a naturally occurring hormone that is known for its role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin levels rise in the evening, making you drowsy—so magnesium’s extra boost may help bring better sleep, he adds.

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Is 7 Hours of Sleep Enough?

By Elizabeth Millard, Feb 23, 2026

When it comes to how many hours of shuteye you get on average, the common recommendation for most adults is to clock at least seven hours each night, and that’s a solid general guideline, says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California. However, it’s helpful to keep in mind that sleep duration can fluctuate based on things like age, lifestyle, illness recovery, pregnancy, or even existing underlying health conditions that you may, or you may not be, aware of. “For most adults, seven hours is the minimum needed to function well, with nine hours as the maximum, but individual needs can vary quite a bit,” Dr. Dimitriu notes.

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‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin on the ‘Invisible Battles’ That Cost Him a Medal

By Mandy French, Feb 18, 2026

“Historically, we believed the ‘right’ amount of anxiety was like a U-shaped curve — too little, not good, just enough — ideal, and too much also not good,” said Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board certified psychiatry and sleep medicine specialist, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “More recent research seems to point to any cognitive anxiety before an event being maladaptive, which basically means, the calmer you are before and during the ‘performance,’ the better,” Dimitriu told Healthline.

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Is This the ‘Golden Age’ of Treatments for Sleep Disorders?

By Tara Haelle, Feb 16, 2026

For those who cannot find a therapist, the prescription-only digital therapeutic app SleepioRx was cleared by the FDA in 2024 and “offers an accessible, evidence-based CBT-I option,” said Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine physician at Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California.

Click HERE for the full article.

 

Wearable Trackers May Help Detect Depression Relapse Before It Occurs

By Mandy French, Feb 16, 2026

“This is a great study, and [a] theme which wonderfully presages the upcoming AI analysis of biometrics to determine human mood and health states,” 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. “Our biology, especially mental health-related, is often quite a fuzzy signal — there [are] good days, bad days, stress, sleep, and random life events which can make our moods look all over the place. Tracking with wearables over longer periods of time can begin to expose patterns which would otherwise be hard to detect. In this study, variance in sleep was shown to effectively predict depressive relapse,” he said.

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Study challenges negative cannabis stereotypes, claiming link to brain benefits

By Melissa Rudy, Feb 15, 2026

Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, reiterated that this study is an “outlier,” as most previous research has shown “detrimental effects” from cannabis use. “Given the widespread use and legalization of cannabis, it would be great to know that it is net-positive for brain health — however, this feels too good to be true, and too early to claim,” he said. “I would advise proceeding with caution and moderation.”

Click HERE for the full article.

Attention, Parents of Bedrotters: Sleeping in Is Actually Good for Teens’ Mental Health

By Lisa Mulcahy, Feb 8, 2026

“Teenagers can be distracted by technology, screens, and social media,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, CA. “Unlike adults, their still-developing brain, specifically their pre-frontal cortex, may cause reduced impulse control. So they have a harder time turning off interesting things they see online, especially late at night.”

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Short Afternoon Nap May Boost Brain Health, Improve Learning Ability

By Mandy French, Feb 6, 2026

“Short afternoon naps, or ‘power naps,’ can significantly enhance alertness, mood, and reaction time. They serve as an effective tool for overcoming the mid-afternoon circadian dip,” said Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board certified psychiatry and sleep medicine specialist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, who was not involved in the study.

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Forcing an early wake-up time could harm your health, sleep doctors warn

By Khloe Quill, Jan 14, 2026

“The main drawback to shifting any schedule is the loss in overall sleep duration,” Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a sleep medicine doctor and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in New York, told Fox News Digital. “Changes should be made slowly and maintain an emphasis on getting those seven to eight hours of sleep.”

Click HERE for the full article.

Restoring Intimacy: Navigating Sexual Dysfunction in Schizophrenia and Your Treatment Options

By Elizabeth Millard, Jan 12, 2026

This is not a personal failing, emphasizes Alex Dimitriu, MD, psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in California and medical reviewer for Everyday Health. “The disease itself likely has impacts on sexual function, and medication for schizophrenia can also play a significant role,” he says. “For example, treatment may include strong dopamine blockers that can inhibit sex drive.”

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Treating Sleep Apnea Could Reduce Parkinson’s Risk

By George Citroner, Jan 5, 2026

Why Sleep Quality Matters for Brain Health. Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and is the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, and was not involved in the study, called the research “fascinating” and said it supports what he sees daily in his practice. “I can tell you that no one really gets better until they are sleeping well,” Dimitriu told The Epoch Times. Healthy sleep—including deep sleep and REM, or rapid eye movement, stages—is necessary for the brain to clean up, recharge, and prepare for the next day, he added. “When the brain rests, it resets neurotransmitters, among these dopamine,” he said. “Poor sleep can make dopamine levels lower, which can make everything worse, from [attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder] ADHD to Parkinson’s disease, both of which are dopamine sensitive.”

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Navigating the Holidays with ADHD: Prioritizing Self Care

By Sarah Choi, Dec 22, 2025

Alex Dimitriu, MD, has worked with individuals with ADHD for over a decade. He says you should say “no” more often than you say “yes.” “Be more picky,” he says. “The future you will be happy you did.”

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Heart attacks and the holidays

By Georgette Gouveia, Dec 22, 2025

A new study recently made headlines indicating that regular melatonin use was linked to nearly double the risk of heart failure over five years in a large observational cohort (American Heart Association). The authors acknowledge they don’t know if melatonin is the culprit – or if it’s simply a marker of poor sleep. According to Alex Dimitriu, M.D., founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, https://www.siliconpsych.com/   “we are missing the real story here. Whether melatonin is harmful or not, poor sleep is harmful to heart health, and there is overwhelming evidence to support that. “The conversation we should be having isn’t about melatonin; it should be about the massive and underestimated cardiac impact of chronic sleep loss, of which we are all subject.”

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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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