Is the Scandinavian sleep method the secret to a better night’s rest? Here’s what to know

By Lindsey Lanquist, Mar 5, 2024

The Scandinavian sleep method also creates two personalized sleep environments within the same bed. Instead of compromising on duvet thickness and texture, each partner can pick a blanket that suits their needs and preferences. This is more expensive than sharing a blanket, and it gives you more to manage when doing laundry or making the bed. But having more control over your sleep environment goes a long way, says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine.

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The 5-Step Bedtime Routine of People Who Never Gain Weight

By BethAnn Mayer, Mar 2, 2024

What you eat for dinner is important, but so is when you eat it. “Food timing is essential,” explains Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “The narrower the window of eating during the day, the better. It’s not easy, but ideally, people should eat only while the sun is up.” In other words, try to eat dinner around sunset. Dr. Dimitriu points to evidence from a 2022 study that found that consistent timing of first and last meals, shorter eating windows and earlier food consumption was optimal for calorie restriction and weight-gain prevention.

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4 Benefits of 4-7-8 Breathing, According to Doctors

By Erica Sweeney, Feb 29, 2024

The breathing exercise is based on a yoga principle called pranayama breathing, or slow exhale, explains Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a double board-certified physician in sleep medicine and psychiatry and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. It’s become more popular recently, but integrative medicine expert Andrew Weil, M.D. has been teaching the method for decades.

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Sleep deprivation dangers: How pulling an all-nighter affects your physical and mental health

By Melissa Rudy, Feb 10, 2024

Alex Dimitriu, M.D., who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and is founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, also warned of adverse effects. “There is evidence that even a single night of insufficient — or worse yet, absent — sleep leads to a buildup of toxins in the brain similar to those seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease,” he told Fox News Digital. “Similar to Alzheimer’s, even one night of lost sleep can cause fatigue, impaired impulse control, mood instability, diminished attention and memory — all symptoms similar to ADHD.”

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Expert shares suggestions after Elmo’s social media post sparks mental health conversations

CBS13 spoke with Dr. Alex Dimtriu, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, about why the pulse of the country all seems to be dealing with doom and gloom. “In my view of things, I think the world caught a fever ever since COVID came and went and we are still feeling that fever,” Dr. Dimitriu said. He suggests people should take a break and if needed, seek help. “Getting enough sleep, not scrolling on social media until two in the morning are all positive things and I think the real change starts at home, it starts with you and in any situation, I think you need to look at where you have control,” Dr. Dimitrui said.

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Kids who consume energy drinks are more prone to mental health disorders, study finds

Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist and sleep doctor who is also the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, was not involved in the study but offered his expert input. “The concern with any exogenous substance in children under the age of 21 is that the human brain is not done forming until people are about the age of 26,” Dimitriu told Fox News Digital. “For this reason, substance use, including energy drinks, can markedly alter development, and certainly build patterns that resemble drug-seeking behavior as children look to external ‘fixes,’ for possible mood, focus or energy symptoms.”
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Is Online Therapy Effective? 5 Pros and 5 Cons

By Breanna Mona, Jan 30, 2024

The more important a conversation is, the more dimensions of communication (body language, etc.) may be required to make it effective, says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a consultation psychiatrist at Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California.

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Eating more kiwi fruit could boost your mental health in just a few days

By Jessica Freeborn, Jan 30, 2024

Overall, the results still point to the benefits of kiwi and vitamin C for mental health.

“The strength of the findings for people with low vitamin C levels is impressive, and it was impressive to see kiwi separate from vitamin C tablets, which also demonstrates a non-response to placebo vitamin C tablets,” Dr. Alex Dimitriu, double board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, told MNT. Dr. Dimitriu was not involved in the research. “It may have been a good direction to add a non high in vitamin C fruit control, besides kiwi fruit. For anyone not eating enough citrus fruit or presumably low vitamin C levels, studies like this support a substantial benefit from a relatively risk and cost-free intervention of getting more vitamin C in their diet,” he added.

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Mental health may be worse in teens from large families, study suggests: ‘Fewer resources’

By Melissa Rudy, Jan 25, 2025

Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, also was not part of the OSU research, but he shared his thoughts on the concept of “research dilution.” “In psychology, ‘resource dilution’ suggests that the availability of parental resources, such as time, attention and finances, decreases as the number of children in a family increases,” he told Fox News Digital. “The authors also mention that prior studies showed advantages to having more siblings, so overall the data is mixed,” he added.

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Depression could be ‘zapped’ away with brain stimulation, new study suggests: ‘Better quality of life’

By Melissa Rudy, Jan 25, 2024

Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, was not involved in the Nottingham study but reviewed the findings. “There is no doubt that magnetic brain stimulation can be an effective treatment for depression, and this study, using targeted magnetic pulses, further reinforces the efficacy of this treatment,” he said. A similar type of focused magnetic therapy was developed at Stanford, which found similar strong positive outcomes, Dimitriu said.

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This 30-Second Habit Could Be a Gamechanger for Your Energy Levels

By BethAnn Mayer, Jan 18, 2024

“We all forget to breathe as we get busy,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “Spending even 30 seconds doing some deep breathing and even mindful clearing of the mind can help.”

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Sleep Problems in Your 30s and 40s Could Be a Major Predictor for Cognitive Decline

By Alexandra Frost, Jan 12, 2024

Experts say adults over 18 should sleep anywhere from seven to nine hours a night‌. While you sleep, your body is fixing you up for the next day. “Sleep helps mood, anxiety, cognition, and a myriad of other health issues,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, psychiatrist, sleep medicine physician, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “Most fundamentally, the brain recharges when we sleep, and does a lot of cleanup and organization, so it is no surprise that poor sleep has a negative impact on cognition. The good news, at least in my practice, is that improving sleep can also improve many of the above stated issues.”

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Exercise combined with mindfulness best for mental health, researchers say

By Jessica Freeborn, Jan 9, 2024

Non-study author Dr. Alex Dimitriu, double board certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, noted to MNT: “Both exercise and mindfulness separately have been shown to improve mental well-being, so it is no surprise that the combination of the two is effective. I often tell my patients, especially those with depression, to remember and care for their basic ‘animal needs,’ among these are always sleep, diet, exercise, meditation/mindfulness, time in nature, and time with friends and family.” Dr. Dimitriu said that combining any of the aforementioned positive behaviors could improve mental health outcomes even more.

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New Year can bring better sleep at night if you follow these 9 smart steps

By Melissa Rudy, Jan 1, 2024

A method used by the U.S. military in World War II could help people fall asleep in less than five minutes, some claim. The “military sleep technique” involves relaxing every muscle in the body, starting with the face and working your way down, while taking slow, deep breaths. “Muscle relaxation going down the body, along with a focus on deep breathing, can be an effective way to both increase relaxation and reduce thinking,” Dr. Alex Dimitriu, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, told Fox News Digital.

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The Young are Not So Restless When It Comes to Sleep

Fast forward ten years, and California psychiatrist and sleep medicine expert Alex Dimitriu tells Healthline.com that the stress of career concerns may keep you awake. His prescription? Forget counting sheep and zero in on “exercise, meditation, regular bed and wake times” plus “connecting with friends and family outside of your immediate household.”  Dr. Dimitriu’s work-arounds include exercise during the day and a regular bedtime and waketime schedule so your body knows where it’s supposed to be when the lights go out at night and dawn breaks the next morning.
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