Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine
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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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Major cannabis study finds little proof for popular medical claims, flags big dangers

By Khloe Quill, Dec 17, 2025

The review found that evidence supporting most medical uses of cannabis or cannabinoids is limited or insufficient, the release stated. “Whenever a substance is widely used, there is likely to be a very wide set of outcomes,” Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, told Fox News Digital. 

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How to Get More Deep Sleep: An Evening Routine That Works

By Jennifer Chesak, Dec 16, 2025

“While sleep is the most restorative thing you can do for your brain, deep sleep is the most restorative part of sleep altogether,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a physician double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. Sounds blissful, right? You get to shut out the rest of the world while your body rests and repairs. But you’re not in this stage during your entire sleep session. Instead, you will climb into and out of this deep stage several times per night. “For most adults about 10% to 25% of your total sleep time should be in deep sleep, and this number diminishes as we get older,” Dr. Dimitriu says.

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Restless leg syndrome may increase Parkinson’s disease risk, study finds

By Jessica Freeborn, Dec 11, 2025

Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, likewise not involved in the study, told us: “I am not sure I agree with the authors that dopamine may not be the single agent responsible for the [restless leg syndrome]- Parkinson’s relationship. In my professional work, I have seen dopamine-related conditions go hand in hand with others. Specifically, people who have akathisia (restlessness) with dopamine blocking meds, also tend to have [restless leg syndrome]. And patients with [restless leg syndrome] are more likely to develop tremor and akathisia (all symptoms of lower dopamine).”

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How Sleep Changes With Age

By Kelsey Kloss, Dec 10, 2025

“As infants, we need almost 20 hours of sleep, with a lot of slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement [REM] sleep,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California.  Slow-wave sleep is the deepest phase of non-rapid eye movement sleep and is considered important for consolidating memories. REM sleep is a light sleep when dreams occur and the eyes move quickly back and forth. You need a lot of these deep types of sleep when you’re younger because of the significant brain development and learning happening at these ages, says Dr. Dimitriu. 

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If You Struggle To Fall Asleep, You Might Want To Try This Absurdly Simple Hack

By Ash Jurberg, Dec 10, 2025

Sleep specialist Alex Dimitriu confirms the evidence gap. “While some research supports eye movements as a means to induce calm, this technique has not been studied specifically for sleep. Currently, this approach is anecdotal,” he said. Compare that to other methods: “There is substantial evidence supporting box breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and possibly Yoga Nidra.”

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Sleep Better With Sjögren’s Syndrome

By Elizabeth Millard, Dec 4, 2025

Unfortunately, getting enough sleep with this chronic condition can be tricky, since its symptoms can be disruptive, according to Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, CA. “Because this condition is characterized by dryness and discomfort, that can often worsen sleep in many cases,” Dr. Dimitriu explains. “Other symptoms of Sjögren’s, like pain and night sweats, can also cause sleep to be fragmented through repeated waking, which is the opposite of what the nervous system needs.” Fortunately, there are strategies that can be helpful. Here’s a deeper look at why Sjögren’s syndrome may lead to poor sleep, why that’s a problem, and what you can do to get better shuteye.

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This Common Vitamin Deficiency Could Be the Reason You’re Always Tired, Experts Warn

By Beth Ann Mayer, Dec 2, 2025

Yes, vitamin B12 deficiency could be a reason you’re always tired. However, that blood test might reveal you aren’t vitamin B12 deficient, which is why it’s crucial to get one rather than self-diagnose. “It’s important to realize that most people living in the modern world are not vitamin deficient, with the exception of certain groups,” states Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. Yet even people who are more at risk for a B12 deficiency have a less than 5% chance of having one. For instance, only about 3.7% of people ages 60+ are vitamin B12 deficient (or having serum vitamin B12 levels below 200 picograms per milliliter). Real talk: “In my work as a sleep specialist, the most likely explanation for most of us who feel fatigue is too much stress or not enough sleep—not necessarily a vitamin deficiency,” Dr. Dimitriu explains.

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Why Using Your Phone at Night May Not Be as Bad as You Think

By Rebecca Schneid, Nov 20, 2025

Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor in Menlo Park, Calif., calls the study “fascinating, because it goes against a very large established body of research which suggests a clear effect on sleep quality from screen use,” citing the 2025 American Cancer Society study as an example. “The authors do acknowledge some interesting findings [including] that causality cannot be clearly determined from this study. And it is possible that good sleepers either use phones or they don’t, while poor sleepers aren’t sure what to do,” Dimitriu tells TIME. In Dimitriu’s professional opinion: “Screens are not good for sleep.” “I can stay up [for] hours scrolling through news articles, blogs, and social media posts. If I try reading a book, I’m out within 10 minutes. My patients feel the same,” he says. “Screens, besides being bright, are just too interesting.”

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When You Zone Out, It Might Just Be ‘Microsleep,’ According to New Research

By Korin Miller, Nov 10, 2025

It could also be your brain trying to play catch-up from a bad night’s sleep, says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a psychiatrist and sleep medicine physician, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. When you’re in a deep sleep at night, your brain’s glymphatic system “washes out” leftover byproducts from a day of activity, he explains. “When people get insufficient sleep at night, it is possible that episodes of zoning out during the day may be the brain trying to catch up on processes that were not finished during the night,” he says.

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Insomnia Tips: Fall Asleep Faster, Wake Clearer

By Jennifer Chesak, Oct 30, 2025

“[Chronic] insomnia is clinically defined by trouble falling or staying asleep for three or more days a week over a three-month period,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified physician in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. If you have trouble sleeping, you may be wondering about what to do when you can’t sleep, insomnia treatments, how to cure insomnia, and more. We’ve got insomnia tips and tricks for you. And, yes, we’ve included tactics you can use right now in case you’re seeking an immediate solution and want us to get to it already.

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The 9 Best Foods for Better Sleep, According to Dietitians and a Doctor

By Rachel Kiley, Oct 29, 2025

There are all sorts of remedies—both natural and pharmaceutical—for getting a good night’s rest. But what we consume plays a role—specifically, adding foods for better sleep may make a difference in your quality of Zs. “Food plays a large role in the quality of our sleep,” Alex Dimitriu, M.D., founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, says. While no single snack will knock you out instantly or guarantee a perfectly restful night, research suggests that incorporating foods rich in tryptophan, magnesium, and calcium, for example, supports your body’s natural process of winding down.

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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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