By Zoe Malin, Oct 2, 2026

As the sun rises later and sets earlier during the winter months, odds are you feel some combination of sleepy, less motivated and plain old glum during the day. And to some degree, that’s totally normal, said Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who specializes in psychiatry and sleep medicine, and is the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. Our circadian rhythm and other biological clocks are regulated by sunlight, so when there is less of it, we feel drained. Until the sun returns in spring, we can replace missing daylight with light therapy lamps, which simulate the light of a sunny sky and can help boost your mood, among other benefits.

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By Adam Meyer, Sep 28, 2026

Melatonin and cortisol are two hormones critical to sleep, and both of them follow a precise daily schedule. Melatonin, which signals to your body that it’s time to sleep, peaks in the evening and declines as the night progresses. Cortisol, your body’s natural alerting hormone, increases in the early morning hours to prepare you for waking. Going to bed after midnight can put your sleep schedule out of sync with these natural rhythms, particularly if you’re also exposed to bright light late at night. “Melatonin, which is timed to sunlight and peaks in the evening, is now diminishing when you try to fall asleep after midnight,” says Alex Dimitriu, M.D. “Cortisol levels start to rise towards the morning. This is your body’s natural alarm clock.”

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By Joy Manning, Sep 23, 2026

A body scan is a type of meditation that involves bringing your attention to each part of your body, one at a time, often starting at your toes and working upward. It can give a racing mind something calm and physical to focus on instead of letting your thoughts spiral. “Systematic muscle relaxation can help you fall back asleep,” says Alex Dimitriu, M.D.

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By Mandy French, Sep 15, 2026

Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, who wasn’t involved in the review, told Healthline, “Reading builds empathy, improves focus, and offers a healthy digital detox. Reading also fires up the imagination and provides a low enough level of stimulation to inspire us to think and feel on our own.”

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By Claire Wolters, Sep 10, 2026

Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, adds that mental health providers can play an important role in initiating conversations about suicide. “It is a key role of mental health workers, clinicians and physicians in general to serve as role models for a healthy dialogue about this often-uncomfortable topic by being comfortable with it ourselves,” adds Dr. Dimitriu.

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By Jessica Migala, Au 31, 2026

What’s more, home tests generally do not have electroencephalogram (EEG) tracking, which records brain activity via electrodes placed on your scalp, and they don’t measure muscle tone, says Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California. These measurements can help determine when you are actually asleep, identify sleep stages, and evaluate for other sleep conditions. “Home sleep tests are good for catching sleep apnea, but not much else,” he says.

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By Ashley Garling, Pharm.D, Updated Aug 26, 2026

“Anything that alters sleep architecture [normal sleep patterns] can cause muscle-related sleep disruptions, or acting out dreams,” says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California. “Common substances include alcohol, certain antidepressants, sedatives like zolpidem [Ambien] or eszopiclone [Lunesta], and [the beta-blocker] metoprolol [Lopressor].” Antidepressants may cause REM sleep behavior disorder by altering levels of the brain chemicals dopamine and serotonin, which play a role in REM sleep.

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