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.

Click HERE for the full article.

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.

Click HERE for the full article.

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.

“I’m not anxious, I just don’t sleep well” Part 2: The spectrum of anxiety—jumpy people

November 05, 2020. Dr. Dimitriu was published in Psychology Today in an article titled: “I’m not anxious, I just don’t sleep well”.

The Spectrum of Anxiety: Jumpy People

Anxiety comes in many different flavors, and it helps to think of it as a natural spectrum that can range from functional to mild to severe. Let’s start with the scariest first.

Panic attacks are in my opinion the most severe form — these are brief periods of “impending doom,” palpitations, and the kind of fear that makes you think to go to the ER.

Click HERE for the full article.

What Not Enough Sleep Does to Your Body, Say Doctors

By Emilia Paluszek, October 31, 2020

“Attention and focus are also impacted with poor sleep, and people will experience trouble learning and retaining new material, or being increasingly forgetful of previously learned material,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD.

Click HERE for the full article.

Your Complete Guide to Taking the Best Nap of Your Life

Written by Brittany Risher on October 29, 2020

Longer naps may also interfere with the quality of your nighttime sleep, adds Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, who is double board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine. “Some people can get into cycles of napping by day and sleeping poorly at night as a consequence,” he says.

Click HERE for the full article.

“I’m Too Anxious to Get Better” Part 1: Anxious people are terrible at helping themselves.

Oct 27, 2020. Dr. Dimitriu was published in Psychology Today in an article titled: “I’m Too Anxious to Get Better”

Living with anxiety is like driving a car without shock absorbers: Everything is a big deal, always hurried, easily overwhelmed, and rarely happy. Some people don’t understand that life doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some useful tips I’ve gathered over years of working as a psychiatrist:

“I feel terrible, but also really good sometimes. Wine helps!”

Anxious people are terrible at helping themselves. An interesting part of my work is seeing people with anxiety who don’t think they have anxiety. The thought of “needing help” makes anxious people more anxious. They are often determined to not show weakness (even to themselves) and to just to push forward with business as usual.

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

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