March 17, 2021. Dr. Dimitriu was published in Psychology Today in an article titled: “A Little Bit of Anxiety Can Do a Whole Lot of Good”

Anxious?  Well, that may be a good thing – in moderation.

Experts say anxiety increases a person’s arousal to the point where motivation, performance, and the ability to complete difficult tasks or activities are significantly enhanced. Too much of it, though, leads to neurological, psychological, and even physical disorders; too little of it might encourage an “It-don’t-matter-that-much” attitude, causing distractedness, disorganization underachievement, and lack of ardor to do a job well.

Click HERE for the full article.

By Jennifer Aldrich, March 17, 2021

Another common issue is “poor sleep hygiene,” says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., who’s double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “This often results from going to bed at irregular times, or sleeping too much on some days, and then having insomnia on the next,” Dimitriu explains. “I call this the ‘oscillating insomnia pattern,’ because truly there are people who can flip flop between oversleeping and undersleeping.” “Sleep will impact every aspect of our physical and mental health,” Dimitriu says. In the short term, some restless nights can cause mood changes, low energy, and lack of concentration, Avena explains. But there are more problems you could face in the longterm. “Lack of sleep can cause weight gain, immune suppression, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, accelerated aging, and worsening physical appearance or skin quality,” Dimitriu says. “Mentally, lack of sleep can cause memory and attention problems, impulsivity, depression, anxiety, irritability, and diminished mental performance.” What’s worse, numerous individuals have severe sleep loss, but are unable to recognize it. “So many people walk about chronically sleep deprived, and not know it; they assume this is their ‘normal,'” he adds.

Click HERE for the full article.

By Abby Stassen Fact checked by Ashley Hall  March 10, 2021

Loud, unexpected, or overly variable sounds can catch our attention, and interfere with sleep. A good sound machine would ideally create a gentle backdrop of very neutral noise—in this case, white noise machines or the sound of a fan, can be helpful. —Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine.

Click HERE for the full article.

By Lindsay Champion | Mar. 1, 2021

Sleep apnea. This is one of the most common causes of morning headaches. Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, tells us. “This happens because the brain is starved of oxygen during periods of snoring, which leads to headaches.” Sleep apnea can be dangerous and may require a breathing assistance device, like a CPAP machine, so if you snore and frequently get headaches in the morning, get checked out by your doctor.

Click HERE for the full article.

Jessica Estrada・February 21, 2021

Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, adds dreams are very likely the brain’s way of working through problems, past events, as well as planning for the future. “Dreams allow us to connect loose concepts and ideas, and may also be a source of creativity and ingenuity,” he says. “They may also be a form of self-therapy, as the brain is able to process experiences and emotions and make sense of life events.” He says there’s also been a recent rise in research backing the belief that dreams are a type of psychedelic experience, which explains why dreams are powerful in emotional healing and growth. “Interestingly, the dreaming brain looks a lot like the psychedelic brain,” he says. “Both are able to make loose connections and come up with creative solutions.”

Click HERE for the full article.

February 12, 2021 — Dr. Alex Dimitriu, Founder of the Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine clinic, was interviewed by Insider for the article, “Yes, you can overdose on melatonin — here’s how to find your proper dosage.”

Click HERE for the full article.

By Dominique Michelle Astorino, February 01, 2021

Insomnia disorder is its own beast, according to Dr, Dimitriu. “Insomnia disorder (or psychophysiological insomnia ) is not a result of depression, anxiety, medical issues, or substances including alcohol, caffeine, or stimulants.” Rather it’s defined as trouble initiating or maintaining sleep or waking too early, three days per week or more over a period of at least three months, he explains. Insomnia disorder, aka chronic insomnia, is a long-term pattern of sleep difficulties that, as Dr. Dimitriu explains, aren’t necessarily a direct byproduct of anxiety. Then there’s acute or short-term insomnia, which is a brief episode (less than three months) of sleep loss brought on by factors such as sleep anxiety, grief, or job loss and typically improves as the patient copes with the stressors that originally brought on the sleep issues, according to SleepFoundation.org. Just as you can feel depressed but not have a clinical depressive disorder, you could experience insomnia symptoms, but not have chronic insomnia disorder.

Click HERE for the full article.