January 11, 2023 Dr. Dimitriu was published in Psychology Today in an article titled:

Why Some Experts Believe Stress Can Aid Performance

“A little anxiety from time to time can be beneficial to task performance…[as] illustrated by the Yerkes-Dodson law, which states…performance is improved by anxiety until an optimum level of arousal is reached.” That quote, by psychologist and author Clifford B. Dobson as referenced in Yerkes-Dodson: A Law for All Seasons, might best explain why Garry Kasparov became World Chess Champion and John McEnroe won seven Grand Slam tennis championships by age 25, despite their performance stress.

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By Stacey Zable and Timothy J. Forster, Jan 5, 2023

Head support: What’s most important is ensuring your head is supported in the right places by your travel pillow – and, in particular, not being pushed forward by excessive padding – according to Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a sleep/wake and performance specialist who is dual board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine. “The biggest issue many travelers will experience when sleeping on a plane is that the seats don’t recline enough,” Dimitriu says. “This often results in the head being just on the brink of tipping forward – which is not a comfortable sleeping position. Because of this insufficient recline, it is important to keep padding behind the head and neck minimal to reduce the tendency for the head to tip forward. A good pillow would provide support for side sleeping, rather than a lot of padding behind the head, which just pushes the head forward too much.”

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By Brian Morris, Jan 04, 2023

“Some studies have been carried out showing that melatonin can reduce stress around surgery,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a double board-certified physician (Psychology and Sleep Medicine) who founded Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine as well as BrainfoodMD. “In a 2015 review paper, the authors noted benefit to pre- and post-surgical anxiety in people pre-treated with melatonin – in one instance, with similar benefit to midazolam.”

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By Kaitlin Vogel, Dec 20, 2022

After a large meal, our bodies have to work to process the food, and our heart rate and metabolism remain elevated. This is the opposite of the restful effect desired when sleeping, says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine and BrainfoodMD. “Experimenting with various sleep trackers, I have consistently found my heart rate to be elevated well into the night after a big meal,” Dr. Dimitriu adds.

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By Frances Gatta, Dec 13, 2022

Generally, “the efficacy of hypnotherapy depends on the participant, with some people being more prone or open to suggestion than others,” says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., double board-certified physician in psychiatry and sleep medicine, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and BrainfoodMD. Around 80% of people, Dr. Dimitriu explains, are ‘medium’ for hypnotizability—meaning they’re somewhere between highly hypnotizable and not hypnotizable at all—and this tends to remain constant over their lifetime.

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By Phil Lowe, Dec 8, 2022

The founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, Dr. Alex Dimitriu, says people need to stock how they feel. You ought to determine what causes the fatigue. Is it anxiety, lack of sleep, or being too busy at work? Experts claim that glutamate concentrations will often reduce when you sleep. Dr. Alex mentioned that enough sleep is the ideal way to deal with cognitive fatigue.

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December 6, 2022 Dr. Dimitriu was published in Psychology Today in an article titled:

How Anxiety and Fatigue Can Have Us ‘Walking in Circles’

Being anxious makes you tired, and being tired makes you anxious (and sleep more poorly). In my work as a sleep doctor and a psychiatrist, I am amazed to see how much anxiety can wear people down and leave them feeling exhausted. Indeed, a day of tough decisions, and pushing through piles of work and meetings, requires lots of energy, and leaves you with nothing by the time you get home. Fortunately, for most, weekends are a different story than a day at the office—though it can take a few days to recover from the energy deficit.

Click HERE for the full article.