When Is It Too Much? Managing OCD During COVID

December 22, 2020. Dr. Dimitriu was published in Psychology Today in an article titled: “When Is It Too Much? Managing OCD During COVID”

Imagine trying to tell yourself not to think about the coronavirus. Impossible, right? But everyday virus prevention measures such as handwashing and physical distancing also happen to overlap tremendously with the type of circular thinking and repetitive behaviors known all too well by those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD.

Click HERE for the full article.

When Is It Too Much? Managing OCD During COVID

By Dr. Alex Dimitriu, Dec., 22, 2020

Imagine trying to tell yourself not to think about the coronavirus. Impossible, right? But everyday virus prevention measures such as handwashing and physical distancing also happen to overlap tremendously with the type of circular thinking and repetitive behaviors known all too well by those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD.

Click HERE for the full article.

Surprising ways marriage can affect your health

By K.M. Langevin/DEC. 22, 2020

“Humans are essentially social creatures,” Dr. Alex Dimitriu, dual board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist, explained to Health Digest. “And we do better when we ‘belong,’ or have a purpose.” Dimitriu highlighted a study about “Blue Zones,” or places where people live the longest. These are also “places where there are large families and a strong sense of community,” he explained. They also happened to be married or in otherwise committed relationships. “Marriage is in many ways a most essential relationship, as this is the person we are most likely to be with the most, so it matters,” Dimitriu continued.

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THE ONE THING THAT’S PROVEN TO TREAT INSOMNIA

By Lauren Vinopal, DEC., 17, 2020

Psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist Alex Dimitriu agrees, describing insomnia as “a finger-trap problem, where the harder you force sleep, the worse sleep can be.” This is why many doctors are careful to clinically diagnose insomnia, preferring instead to focus on the main symptom of not being able to fall or stay asleep. “If the diagnosis of insomnia induces anxiety, it may hurt more than help,” Dimitriu says.

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Always Running on 6 Hours of Sleep? Experts Explain Why You Should Aim For More

December 17, 2020 by Caitlin Flynn

Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified physician in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, agreed, noting that you may need to allot even more time to make sure you’re getting adequate sleep on nights when it doesn’t come easily. “Aiming for eight hours most often results in about seven and similarly, aiming for six — which is already not enough — can in reality turn into five hours of sleep,” Dr. Dimitriu said. He recommends creating an eight-hour “opportunity” window for sleep, which will hopefully result in at least seven hours of actual sleep time.

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Ever Wondered About Lucid Dreaming? Experts Explain the Risks and Benefits and How to Do It

December 15, 2020 by Jenna Wirth

In simple terms, lucid dreaming can feel like a “virtual reality” experience, Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified physician in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, told POPSUGAR. People who experience lucid dreaming can “control the content and interact with the dream, whereas the rest of us often watch dreams passively, like an immersive movie,” Dr. Dimitriu said.

Click HERE for the full article.

Working around stress

By Jackson A. Thomas, Dec. 2020

“The pandemic has worsened stress, as boundaries between home and work have been blurred,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California. “Kids, pets, home life and other distractions now interfere with people’s attempts to work. The lack of social contacts or vacations to punctuate our lives have also added stress during COVID. Working remotely, through video visits and little in-person interaction has also significantly limited the multimodal ways we used to work — when we worked in person. For many, COVID had become Groundhog Day, with each day melting into the next, and this is hard.”

Click HERE for the full article.

If you can’t fall asleep at night, this is probably why

By Kelsie Calderon, Dec. 9, 2020

We all know that smoking isn’t good for the lungs, but it could be what’s keeping you up late at night too. While many people turn to cigarettes in order to calm them down, “nicotine in cigarettes can have a stimulating effect,” Dr. Alex Dimitriu, dual board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist, exclusively told Health Digest. “And thus smokers may have a hard time falling asleep after a cigarette.”

Click HERE for the full article.

What Do Dreams About Someone Dying Mean?

Written by Ann Pietrangelo on December 7, 2020

“The goal ultimately may not be to avoid having such dreams, but rather approach them with curiosity to better understand them,” Dr. Alex Dimitriu, of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, told Healthline. Recurring dreams about death can be the result of ongoing stress and unresolved issues. Try to identify the cause of stress in your waking life. Confronting the issue may help stop the dreams.

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The best sunrise alarm clock of 2020

November 24, 2020 — Dr. Alex Dimitriu, Founder of the Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine clinic, was interviewed by Insider for the article, “The best sunrise alarm clock of 2020.”

Click HERE for the full article.

7 Common Deficiencies Most Of Us Have Without Even Realizing It

By Lena Zhu, November 24, 2020

Surprised you here, didn’t I? Sleep deprivation is a common issue in adults. According to Dr. Alex Dimitriu of SleepFoundation.org, sleep deprivation affects around one-third of American adults and has worsened in recent years. Sleep is incredibly important to our mental, physical, and emotional health. Not getting enough sleep can affect our mood and our ability to function properly. Adults need to sleep around seven to nine hours a night and any less than that is referred to as sleep deprivation.

Click HERE for the full article.

Tips for Finding the Sleep Routine That’s Right for You

By Jessica Migala, Medically Reviewed by Samuel Mackenzie, MD, PhD, November 24, 2020

The more consistent you are with your sleep the better you’ll feel — and the easier sleep will come, says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a dual-board certified doctor in psychiatry and sleep medicine in private practice in Menlo Park, California. “Everyone thinks that sleep is a one-night commitment, but the annoying thing about sleep is that one night alone will rarely make up for past sleep deprivation,” he says.

Click HERE for the full article.

You’re Probably Sleep Deprived — Here’s How to Know

By Dominique Michelle Astorino Nov 13, 2020

Depending on caffeine may seem like an obvious sign, but it bears emphasizing. “If you’re drinking more than one cup of coffee or Red Bull to get through the day, chances are, you’re sleep-deprived,” says Dr. Dimitriu. The other one? Yawning and dreaming of laying down on the couch in your office (ahem, living room) the whole day. How you feel in the afternoon specifically is a dead giveaway for the quality of last night’s shuteye, Dr. Dimitriu says.  While everyone gets a dip in energy in the afternoon, if you’re sleep-deprived, it’s like trying to run a marathon through wet cement wearing a lead backpack (after eating a jar of melatonin gummies).

Click HERE for the full article.

What to Say if Things Get Political at Thanksgiving Dinner

Mackenzie Dunn, Nov 10, 2020

“The goal is to be non-violent, and not try to convince everyone else of your opinion,” says board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Alex Dimitriu, M.D. “When someone is intense or passionate, they want to evoke the same response in you,” he says. Don’t fight back. Instead, Dr. Dimitriu says to move on and proactively present mindfulness, or an open, non-judgemental focus, to re-center yourself. “Realize that people will believe what they want to, as much as you do,” he says.

Click HERE for the full article.

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