By Kendra Cherry, MSEd , Dec 30, 2024
“Anger is a very old and fundamental emotion,” says psychiatrist Alex Dimitriu, MD. “During such episodes, the emotional system becomes more active, while the prefrontal cortex (the thinking brain) gets suppressed. This can lead to irrational or regrettable behavior, intense outbursts, or violence at its worst.”
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By Eileen Bailey, Dec 30, 2024
As you get sleepy, the core temperature of the body lowers, according to the Sleep Foundation. Warming your feet by putting on socks can result in helping your body cool down through vasodilation of blood vessels, says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, in Northern California. And this can help improve your sleep quality. “As the body temperature drops during sleep, people enter deeper stages of sleep,” he tells Yahoo Life. Dimitriu suggests experimenting. “Given the ease of the socks for a sleep experiment, it’s worth a shot,” he says. “Consider monitoring sleep with a tracker to get objective data.”
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By Beth Ann Mayer, Dec 30, 2024
“Infant sleep can be quite challenging, especially in the first year,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified psychiatrist, sleep medicine specialist, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “I’ve often compared this to a residency program in medicine due to being on call all night.” Dr. Dimitru suggests taking power naps when possible and trying not to get frustrated. “Your child will feel your frustration, and your stress hormones will make it harder for you to fall back asleep,” he explains, adding, “Having babies is the ultimate exercise in Buddhism—you have to let go and surrender to the experience.” If anyone needs me, I’ll be practicing horizontal parenting and repeating Dr. Dimitriu’s recommended mantra, “This too shall pass.”
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By Carly Stern, Dec 24, 2024
Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a double board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor at Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, explained that visualization is a lot like “pre-dreaming.” “Everyone knows that beautiful feeling as you start to lightly dream as you doze off into sleep,” he told The Post. “Guess what? Dreams are visual, and the more you can invoke the visual system, the faster you might be able to fall asleep.
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By Beth Ann Mayer, Dec 23, 2024
Reducing these stress levels is essential and may help lower the odds of experiencing a migraine. Yet, sometimes, you might wind up with one anyway. “Interestingly, in let-down headaches, it may be changes in cortisol and other stress hormones that can trigger the headache,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist.
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By Oladimeji Ewumi, Dec 17, 2024
According to Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified physician in psychiatry and sleep medicine at Menlo Park Psychiatry in Menlo Park, CA, another theory is that the GI system in people with depression is more overgrown with Bacteroides, a type of GI bacteria sometimes associated with a high protein, low fiber diet.
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By Beth Ann Mayer, Dec 10, 2024
“Self-awareness, self-care and therapy can all be helpful,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “Remember you are a biological organism, and take care of your human needs.” “Journaling is an excellent tool to help people start to understand the message beneath the fears or doubts that can arise with existential crises,” Dr. Dimitriu says. “Observing the feelings and allowing them without judgment is important. A therapist can be a powerful resource to guide people through these journeys as well and turn that which is dreadful into a powerful teaching.”
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By Carly Stern, Dec 3, 2024
Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist and sleep doctor based in California, previously told The Post that a cold room — between 60 and 67 degrees — is best for getting to and staying asleep.
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By Maggie Aime, Nov 25, 2024
Pregnant women have higher body energy needs, which can result in a greater need for sleep, Alex Dimitriu, M.D., double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine, tells Sleepopolis. (8) But other factors can make it harder to get that extra rest.
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Solo sleepers wanting to upgrade from a twin will score a bit more wiggle room with a full size mattress. It’s cheaper than a queen and better suited for small-space living. Some couples may opt to share a full mattress, too, though: “A full size bed is usually the smallest size comfortable for two,” Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double-board certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine expert based in Menlo Park, California, tells SELF.
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Nov 19, 2024
Another reason for Adderall sleep problems is that it tends to stay in the body for a long time after it’s ingested. Adderall has a half-life of 10–14 hours, according to Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified physician in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. That means it takes 10–14 hours for the body to eliminate half of the medication. “Because of the longer half-life, Adderall has a greater chance of causing insomnia and reducing deep sleep as well as REM (dream sleep) in the morning,” he says.
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By Reda Wigle, Nov 12, 2024
Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist and sleep doctor based in California, previously told The Post that a cold room — between 60 and 67 degrees — is best for getting to and staying asleep. When your body temperature drops, it signals it’s time to slow down. He recommends using blankets, rather than heat, to get warm once you’re in bed. The ideal temperature varies between experts. The Sleep Foundation says to aim for 65 degrees Fahrenheit, while Cleveland Clinic supports setting the thermostat at 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit to turn your bedroom into a “cool, dark and quiet” cave.
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By Heidi Borst, Nov 8, 2024
Blackout curtains can help block ambient light while you’re sleeping, but why does that matter? According to research, a dark room improves overall sleep depth and duration by stimulating melatonin, a hormone that regulates circadian rhythm. In other words, it helps you sleep deeper and longer by keeping your body’s sleep clock on track. “Sleep is best in a cave — ahem, a cool, dark place,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a sleep medicine physician. While blackout curtains can benefit everyone, Dimitriu says anyone who needs to sleep when it’s light out will find them particularly beneficial. Shift workers with unconventional schedules or individuals living farther from the equator, where the sun takes longer to rise and set, may struggle to sleep in a brighter room.
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By SingleCare Team, Nov 7, 2024
Introducing your body and brain to a new medication can be a bumpy ride for some. Since you’re not accustomed to the drug, you may experience side effects right off the bat. For example, clinical trials showed that 19% of epilepsy patients taking gabapentin experienced somnambulance, while 17% had dizziness, 13% had ataxia, and 11% felt fatigue. However, in many cases, these side effects are short-lived—just as long as it takes for your body to adjust. According to Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, “most side effects are because it is sedating, and these can include dizziness, sleepiness, fatigue, all of which generally improve within days or up to a few weeks from starting.” The National Capital Poison Center agrees, saying side effects can last several days to a few weeks, depending on your body’s tolerance, dosage, and condition.
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By Elizabeth Bernstein, Nov 6, 2024
Don’t steal from sleep.Many couples—especially those with young kids—fi t sex in wheneverthey can, which often means sacrifi cing sleep for intimacy. Steal time from something else,such as Netfl ix or social media, sleep specialists say. And try getting intimate earlier. “If there is an activity you really love doing, why would you leave it for the last thing of theday?” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist in Menlo Park, Calif.
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