Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine
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Sleep Like Your Life Depends on It—Because It Might

By John Loeppky, Aug 26, 2025

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, that sleep deprivation has been directly linked to severe concerns including increased rates of depression and suicidality.  Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, says that while the effects may not be immediately obvious to other people, the mental health impacts of poor sleep can be heavy for those experiencing them. 

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Why You’re Waking Up Tired – Even After 8 Hours of Sleep

By Claire Wolters, Aug 25, 2025

Doctors and researchers generally recommend that adults sleep seven to eight hours at night. Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, says that younger adults may need more sleep than older adults, but not by much. Recommended increases are closer to a few minutes than a few hours and “will likely fall into the seven to eight hour range,” he adds. While not everyone needs a full eight hours of sleep, Dimitriu encourages people to aim for the higher end of the range in order to confidently lock in their Zs.

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Hidden sleep danger could increase risk of 172 diseases, major study reveals

By Melissa Rudy, Jul 30, 2025

Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor who is founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, was not involved in the research but commented on the findings. “The more general message here is that there is a benefit to measuring sleep objectively, and looking at more than just the total sleep time,” he told Fox News Digital.

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Can I Drink Alcohol While Taking Methylphenidate?

By Macy Alcido, Jul 29, 2025

While taking any medication, it’s important to use caution when drinking alcohol, says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a double board-certified specialist in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. Dr. Dimitriu specifically recommends limiting alcohol intake when taking methylphenidate. “Alcohol is a sedative, while Ritalin is a stimulant. When taken together, they can work in opposing directions on the cardiovascular system and the nervous system,” notes Dr. Dimitriu. “Ritalin may mask intoxication from alcohol and result in increased consumption, which can be dangerous,” he explains.

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Can Supplements Help With Depression?

By Erica Sweeney, Jul 28, 2025

“This research is very relevant, as so many people will try supplements before they ever even seek professional help,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine physician and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California. 

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This Silly Hack Can Actually Really Help With Anxiety

By Caroline Bologna, Jul 25, 2025

“Words are powerful. I always tell my patients to be careful with the ‘mantras’ you say to yourself each day,” said Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who’s double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California. “My concern is that when you say something enough, you can start to believe it. In that regard, ‘de-clinicalizing,’ or giving anxiety a gentler, even more playful name can certainly take the bite out of it.”

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ADHD in Women: Why It’s Hard to Detect—and What to Do if You Think You Have It

By Stephanie Booth, Jul 24, 2025

For starters, “women are more likely to have the inattentive version of ADHD, which can sometimes be confused with anxiety, forgetfulness, and disorganization,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified psychiatrist in Menlo Park, CA. Even the hyperactive type of ADHD may manifest differently in girls than boys. Instead of physical restlessness, they’re more likely to quietly internalize their symptoms. That can show up as being “over-sensitive,” finding it hard to regulate emotions, and struggling to stay on task or one train of thought.

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4 Ways Therapists Say People With Anxiety Get Stuck — And How To Get Unstuck

By Alexandra Frost, Jul 22, 2025

“A vast number of patients in my practice have benefited from work we have done to catch ‘the stories’ that we tell ourselves, and realize what is real, and what is made up,” said Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who’s double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California. People with anxiety aren’t always great at playing the long game, Dimitriu said. “With this loss of nuanced thinking and tendency towards hurried solutions, people with anxiety are bad at holding a course — when that is exactly what is needed for most interventions to work,” he said. “People with anxiety get ‘stuck,’ because they overthink and question everything, and don’t have the patience to work on a solution that may take time — they give up too easily, or they are too doubtful to start.” Dimitriu said you need to stick with something at least two months to see if it helps.

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sleep (But Were Too Tired to Ask)

In this enlightening episode of Beyond Trauma, Lara Land is joined by Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a double board-certified expert in psychiatry and sleep medicine, to explore the powerful intersection between trauma, mental health, and sleep. Together, they unpack how trauma disrupts our ability to rest and regulate, why sleep is often the first casualty in a dysregulated nervous system, and how healing the mind and body requires a truly integrated approach.

Whether you’re dealing with disrupted sleep, chronic fatigue, or just want to understand your brain and body better, this episode offers a powerful blend of science, psychology, and practical tools for getting truly restorative rest.

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Why You Suddenly Start Seeing the Same Thing Everywhere, According to Psychologists

By Kendra Cherry, Jul 18, 2025

“Selective attention is the ability to notice some things and not others,” explains Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. We are surrounded by so much information that it’s just not possible for the brain to process, sort, and remember it all. To make the most of its limited resources, the brain has to filter the sea of noise, sort out what isn’t important, and hone in on the key details. Selective attention is a lot like a spotlight, drawing your brain’s focus onto the main event.

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6 Causes Of Sleep Onset Insomnia, And What Sleep Doctors Say You Should Do About It

By Emily Laurence, Jul 17, 2025

Typically, it should take between 10 and 20 minutes to fall asleep, according to Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor. But he added that it depends on what you were doing before you hit the lights. If you were reading in dim lighting, you’re probably going to fall asleep faster than if you were scrolling your phone before trying to fall asleep, he said. “Doing work or anything else stimulating is not good for sleep because your brain needs some space, silence and a chance to slow down. So, if you are doing anything overly exciting or stimulating, you will need longer to fall asleep and your sleep quality will be worse once you do,” he told HuffPost.

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Mediterranean and 3 other diet types may lower dementia risk, especially in women

By Jessica Freeborn, Jul 16, 2025

This study highlights the diet’s important role in possibly protecting against dementia. Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, who was also not involved in the study, noted the following clinical implications of the research: “This study speaks to the importance of long-term adherence to diet and the benefits of this. It also demonstrates how diet may play a greater role for older women than for other groups. Also of interest, the study confirms prior findings that pro-inflammatory diets (high in saturated fats, and refined carbohydrates) can be a risk factor for dementia.”

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I Drank Bone Broth Every Day for a Week to Stave Off Brain Fog—Did It Work?

By Kendra Cherry, June 4, 2025

Gut health plays an essential role in mental health, explains Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified psychiatrist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “The gut is able to communicate with the brain via the vagus nerve, and the microbiome of the gut can affect how nutrients (like B12) are absorbed, Dr. Dimitriu says. “Poor gut health can lead to increased gut permeability, ‘leaky gut,’ which can result in bacterial toxins spilling into the body and causing inflammation.”

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My ‘puppy paws’ trick works like a charm when I can’t sleep — other people call them ‘T-Rex arms’

By Reda Wigle, May 30, 2025

Sleep experts have some thoughts on why puppy paws may pave the way to slumberland. “If this position reduces anxious thoughts about sleep, it may be a helpful distraction,” psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, told The Post. “Anything that has a calming effect, and takes your mind off of the ‘why can’t I fall asleep!??!’ type of thinking is helpful.”

Click HERE for the full article.

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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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