Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine
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Obstructive Sleep Apnea Severity Tied to Lipid Levels (MD Alert, Reuters Health, MDLinx)

AUGUST 30, 2018, By Marilynn Larkin

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity is independently associated with cholesterol and triglyceride levels, researchers say.

Dr. Ludger Grote of Sahlgrenska Academy in Gothenberg and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 8,592 patients in the European Sleep Apnea Database without physician-diagnosed hyperlipidemia or reported use of a lipid-lowering drug. Patients’ mean age was 50, and 69% were men. Mean BMI was 30.8 kg/m2 and mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was 25.7 events per hour.

Click HERE for the full article on MDLinx.

6 Mistakes You’re Making When Napping (Bustle)

By Carina Wolff, 8/29/18

Some people live for their daily naps. After all, they can be rejuvenating and the perfect break during an exhausting day. But if you’re just plopping on the couch and sleeping until you see fit, you may not be doing it right. There are a number of mistakes you can make when napping, and although they might seem harmless, they can leave you feeling groggy and low-energy and even affect your sleep schedule later on. Naps can be a healthy part of your day, but it’s important you follow a few simple rules.

Sleep depends on quality just as much as quantity, and it’s important to be aware of the different phases of sleep as well. “There is deep sleep and light sleep, and our bodies go through cycles of this every night — about every 90 minutes,” psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist Dr. Alex Dimitriu tells Bustle. “Not all naps are equal, because depending on the timing of the nap, we may have more light sleep or deep sleep. Longer naps tend to bring us into deeper sleep, from which it can be harder to wake up.”

Click HERE for the full article on Bustle.

Sleep Issues: Restless Legs Syndrome and Your Sleep (Health News Digest)

Menlo Park, CA, August 23, 2018 – For millions of Americans, a good night’s sleep is an elusive goal. Insomniacs are plagued by a persistent combination of difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking and difficulty getting back to sleep, waking too early, and not feeling rested on waking. Chronic insomnia can have serious implications for quality of life, resulting in daytime sleepiness, irritability, impaired job performance, accidents, and health risks.

Click HERE for the full article on HealthNewsDigest.

Ways to Deal with Panic Attacks (Energy Times)

Fear, trembling, sweating, pounding head; racing heart: A panic attack may not kill you, but it certainly feels possible. Psychiatrist Alex Dimitriu, MD, has a simple recommendation: breathe. ““Physicians have long known that the relaxation, visualization—and breathing—techniques taught in yoga and used in meditation help many patients manage their anxiety, including panic disorder,” says Dimitriu, founder of the Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, Alex Dimitriu, M.D. Center in California.

Click HERE for the full article on Energy Times.

This Is What It’s Like to Live With Agitated Depression (Vice)

Agitated depression—or “melancholia agitate”—has been described as a mixed state in which some symptoms of depression exist with those of other psychiatric ailments.

By Nick Keppler, Aug 15 2018, 12:29pm

For Steven, a “bender” began with a scenario like this: He would be watching a movie at his girlfriend’s apartment. Then the thought hit him: He had done something wrong at his job—or just something inadequate. Steven works in finance, in security and regulation compliance; there are always things he could have given more scrutiny.

“My girlfriend would be talking, but I wouldn’t hear what she was saying,” says Steven (who requested that his last name and location be withheld because he feared possible termination from his job). “I would just be thinking, ‘You are lazy. You are stupid. You can’t pretend anymore. You are a piece of shit and you don’t have a plan.’”

Click HERE for the full article on VICE.

5 Health Benefits of Sleeping Naked (Shape)

Science says stripping down is good for more than your sex life.

By Colleen Stinchcombe | Aug 06, 2018

All of us want a good night’s sleep. And while there are endless suggestions on how exactly to do that, it turns out there might be one simple solution: Stripping down. “There are many benefits to sleeping nude,” says Chris Brantner, a certified sleep science coach and founder of online sleep resource SleepZoo. “[Sleeping naked] helps regulate your body temperature … leads to greater relationship happiness … [and] can result in more healthy genitals.”

But those are only a few of the benefits of sleeping naked. Here, experts explain why you should consider donning your birthday suit when it’s time to drift off.

1. You’ll get a deeper sleep.
“There is substantial evidence that a drop in body temperature helps with getting deeper sleep,” says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a board-certified sleep medicine and psychiatry expert. Case in point: After following 765,000 people between 2002 and 2011, a study published in Science Advances concluded that increases in nighttime temperature led to worse sleep. On top of that, a study in Sleep Medicine Reviews found evidence that elevated temperatures mess with our circadian rhythms, making it tough to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Click HERE for the full article on SHAPE.

When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep (Bustle)

By NATALIA LUSINSKI, August 2018

If you’ve ever had insomnia, you know how frustrating it is not being able to fall asleep. Plus, all the pressure — you need to be up soon for work and really want to sleep more than just a few hours. Aside from the exhaustion factor, there are many things that happen when you don’t get enough sleep.

If you’re not sleeping enough, you’re not alone: According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), approximately one-third of American adults aren’t sleeping enough either. Mattress company Reverie, too, recently surveyed 1,000 Americans and found that more than half of adults (57 percent) surveyed feel they don’t sleep enough and wish they got more sleep (58 percent).

Click HERE for the full article on Bustle.

Why You Should Be Using a Sleep Mask Every Single Night (Shape)

These things are the secret to a better night’s sleep.

By Colleen Stinchcombe | Aug 03, 2018

Pop quiz: What is a contributing factor in both car accidents and heart disease, causes innumerable injuries every year, plays a role in diabetes and depression, and can make you an unproductive grump at work?

It’s a lack of sleep. And those aren’t random complications we’re describing—that’s what the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has linked to poor sleep. (Okay, the unproductive grump is from personal experience.) The problem, the CDC says, is that a third of U.S. adults report getting less sleep than the health organization recommends.

Click HERE for the full article on SHAPE.

How to Recognize the Lesser-Known Suicide Risk Factors and Warning Signs (Make It Better)

AUGUST 2, 2018, BY BRITTANY ANAS

If you are suicidal or suspect someone else is, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255). Or, visit online at suicidepreventionlifeline.org

The all-too-frequent deaths by suicide of high-profile celebrities like designer Kate Spade and chef-turned-television personality Anthony Bourdain, as well as members of local communities across the U.S., mean most Americans have been impacted in some way by suicide. This recent, tragic upswing has spurred increased discussions about suicide prevention and awareness.

Underscoring the importance of this enhanced suicide awareness is a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shows suicide rates have increased in nearly every state since 1999, and, in half of the states, the rate has gone up by more than 30 percent. In Illinois, the increase was 23 percent, according to the CDC, and in California, it was 15 percent. In Palo Alto, clusters of youth suicides that occurred in 2008-09 and 2014-15 prompted a CDC investigation that found high-school students there who had considered suicide had some traits in common such as missing school, being victims of bullying, and having used alcohol or drugs in the past.

Click HERE for the full article on MakeItBetter.net

6 Fascinating Things That Happen To Your Body When You Sleep Naked (Bustle)

By CARINA WOLFF, 8/1/18

Some people love sleeping in the nude, but others can’t stand the idea of nixing their cozy pajamas. If you’re someone who lives for sleeping in your favorite flannel set, you might be wondering why on earth someone would want to get in bed unclothed. There are actually a number of fascinating things that happen to your body when you sleep naked, and most of them happen to be pretty beneficial for your health.

Click HERE for the full article on Bustle.

Allergies Linked to Increased Risk of Psychiatric Disorders (Psychiatric News)

CAROL SORGEN, Published Online:31 Jul 2018

Allergic diseases can lead to a higher risk of psychiatric disorders such as hyperactivity and depression.

Individuals with allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis are at higher risk for developing psychiatric disorders, according to a study published last spring in Frontiers in Psychiatry. The study was led by Nian-Sheng Tzeng, M.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

Click HERE for the full article on Psychiatric News.

Is It the Blues or Is It Clinical Depression? (ThirdAge)

by ALEX DIMITRIU, MD, July 26, 2018

We all feel down, or blue, or sad, at times. Sadness is a natural human emotion, usually triggered by a loss, disappointment, or major life change. This sadness is generally short-lived and dissipates over time as we adjust to a new situation. We often casually refer to this situational sadness as depression, but it is important to distinguish it from clinical depression, a much more severe and long-lasting condition that has serious implications for long-term mental and physical health and must be diagnosed and treated by a medical professional.

Click HERE for the full article on ThirdAge.

Am I Sleep-Deprived and Tired – or Depressed? (Health News Digest)

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Menlo Park, CA, July 26, 2018 – Sleep-deprived? It’s common sense that being fatigued generally leaves us in a foul mood. But how can we tell when we’re sleep-deprived and merely tired – or if we’re actually depressed? Psychiatrist and sleep specialist Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, frequently speaks to curious patients about this issue. Since exhaustion, irritability, lack of motivation, anxiety and tearfulness are all symptoms of sleep deprivation – and also symptoms of depression – there’s a great deal of confusion on the matter, he says.

Click HERE for the full article on HealthNewsDigest.

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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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