In the News 13 | Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine

This Busy Mom Says She Was Scammed After Shopping In Her Sleep

By Rachel MacPherson, June 5, 2024

Alex Dimitriu, MD, who is dual board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine, explains parasomnias are disorders of confusional arousal, meaning that the person is half awake and half asleep when they act out — which can range from sleepwalking to sleep talking and night terrors. “It can be thought of as anything you might do almost “automatically” while half asleep,” he says. Generally, though, parasomnias tend to be more simple behaviors, such as incoherent sleep talking.

Adding sleep apnea to the mix can increase the risks of engaging in unwanted unconscious behaviors. Anything that disrupts sleep, including sleep apnea, pain, or noise, can cause confusional arousal, says Dr. Dimitriu.

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REM Sleep Helps Support Your Memory and Emotional Well-Being—Sleep Experts Share How To Get More of It

By Bridget Mallon, May 30, 2024

“REM sleep helps lock in newly learned behaviors…People also make new connections between loose and unrelated ideas during REM sleep, which is why dreams can seem so random sometimes.” —Alex Dimitriu, MD.

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Is Adderall a controlled substance?

By SingleCare Team, May 20, 2024

“Because of its higher risk status, the government, your doctor, and your pharmacist will monitor the use of these medications more closely. Refills cannot be ordered, you will need an ID to get this medicine, and you will also need to see your doctor in person at least every 3–6 months,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “Some doctors will also require drug testing to make sure you are not using other drugs when you are prescribed a potentially addictive stimulant like Adderall.”

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What are the side effects of trazodone for older adults?

By Sarah Bradley, May 16, 2024

All that said, trazodone is still considered a fairly safe drug. In fact, it’s safer than many other sleep medications, including Ambien, diphenhydramine, and benzodiazepines such as Ativan and Xanax, says Alex Dimitriu, MD, psychiatrist, sleep medicine specialist, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine.

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Taking a Closer Look at Sexual Sadism

By Toketemu Ohwovoriole

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May 06, 2024

Sadism is a form of sexual expression that is centered around power dynamics. Mutual consent and trust are essential to a healthy form of this sexual interaction. With mutual consent and respect for boundaries, sadism can allow a healthy exploration of fantasies, power dynamics, intimacy, as well as emotional release, says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified psychiatry and sleep medicine specialist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine.

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Depression Symptoms May be Treatable Using Psilocybin from Magic Mushrooms

By Nancy Schimelpfening, May 3, 2024

Why psilocybin might be effective for depression? Alex Dimitriu, MD, who is double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, explained that researchers are still learning why psilocybin might have an antidepressant effect. He said one possible mechanism “is increased neuroplasticity, allowing the brain to make new connections, known as synaptogenesis.” Dimitriu went on to explain that neuroplasticity might allow a patient to develop new ways of looking at old problems. It might also allow them to make connections to life events and behaviors that previously did not exist. “Put more briefly,” he said, “the effects are likely biological as well as psychological and rooted in improvement in the function of the serotonin system, as well as higher-level changes in thought patterns.”

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Sleep Hygiene Is a Major Concern For Olympians This Summer: Doctors Explain Why

By Rachel MacPherson, May 2, 2024

Sleep plays a tremendous restorative role in physical and mental wellbeing. For athletes, sleep offers a chance for the body to recover and fine-tune movement memory, which often happens in REM sleep, according to Alex Dimitriu, M.D., who is double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “Jet lag, long training schedules, and especially late-night meals and exercise can have a negative impact on performance,” he says.

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Misplaced your keys? How to distinguish dementia from normal age-related memory loss

By David Rossiaky, Apr 29, 2024

Dr. Alex Dimitriu, an expert in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, summed it up for Medical News Today this way: “The brain is designed to run fast and smooth, and sometimes this means leaving out certain details while focusing attention on others. Some details just get lost for the sake of space.”

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Why GLP-1 Drugs May Improve Sleep Apnea

By John Loeppky, Apr 25, 2024

“Weight loss can help, but some people will continue to have sleep apnea due to other causes, such as oral and airway anatomy,” said Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine.

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Is It Healthy to Sleep Naked? 5 Benefits to Know About

By Moira Lawler, Apr 22, 2024

“Generally speaking, sleeping naked is both natural and comfortable, assuming you are not too cold,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified physician specializing in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California. (Dimitriu is also a medical reviewer for Everyday Health.)

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9 Anxious Thoughts Keeping You Up at Night—And How to Manage Them

By Kali Coleman, Mar 31, 2024

“Constant worry can make us less present, less happy, and certainly sleep more poorly at night,” Alex Dimitriu, MD, a physician board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine, explained in a statement accompanying the survey. “Thoughts, and especially worries, can continue to spiral as part of a vicious cycle.”

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The sleep-testosterone link

By Heidi Borst, Mar 26, 2024

According to Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, symptoms of low testosterone include:

Decreased sex drive
Erectile dysfunction
Reduced muscle mass
Fatigue
Low motivation
Mood variability, including depression

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Sleep Coaching vs. Sleep Therapy—Doctors Explain Which Is Most Beneficial

By Erica Sweeney, Mar 25, 2024

A sleep coach can help people with non-medical aspects of sleep issues, says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a board-certified physician in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. This might include suggesting changes to a sleep environment and holding people accountable for following the recommendations. But, they can’t diagnose sleep disorders or prescribe treatments—which you might need to solve your sleep problems. But, he adds, “It’s not hard these days for anyone to call themselves a ‘coach’ in various fields.”

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We Tested a Dozen Sleep Trackers—These Are the 6 Best for a Good Night’s Rest

By Jack Byram, Mar 24, 2024

According to Dr. Dimitriu, most sleep trackers work by tracking heart rate and heart rate variations, as well as through tracking movement and body temperature. When it comes to sleep stage tracking, he says that heart rate, breathing, and movement are what is being used for this, but he does warn that these can be hard metrics to track, even with an EEG (brainwave recorder) in a lab.

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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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