By Beth Ann Mayer, Aug 9, 2024
“Optimal sleep is important because getting the right number of hours of sleep ensures good sleep architecture and healthy patterns for staying and falling asleep,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, a double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine.
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By Heidi Borst, Aug 5, 2024
Comfort is a key feature in eye masks, but breathability and material quality are also important, says sleep medicine expert Dr. Alex Dimitriu. “It should feel good on your face, especially for extended periods,” he says, adding that the headband should stay in place without being too tight.
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By Ashley Garling, Pharm.D, July 30, 2024
“Anything that alters sleep architecture [normal sleep patterns] can cause muscle-related sleep disruptions, or acting out dreams,” says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California. “Common substances include alcohol, certain antidepressants, sedatives like zolpidem [Ambien] or eszopiclone [Lunesta], and [the beta-blocker] metoprolol [Lopressor].” Antidepressants may cause REM sleep behavior disorder by altering levels of the brain chemicals dopamine and serotonin, which play a role in REM sleep.
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By Erica Sweeney, July 29, 2024
The individuals are selfish and self-serving and use subtle or frank manipulation to get their way, says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a double-board certified physician in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “They’re antisocial because they don’t care about society or others, they care about themselves only. While most of us have been selfish at some point in our lives, in antisocial personality disorder, this is the rule, not the exception.”
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July, 26, 2024
Trintellix belongs to a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which prevent neurons from reabsorbing serotonin once they release it into synapses (the space between two connecting neurons). “Trintellix is a serotonergic antidepressant, similar, but somewhat different from the more typical SSRIs—like Zoloft (sertraline), or Prozac (fluoxetine),” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. “It is believed to have effects besides increasing levels of serotonin, and may possibly have some additional benefit to cognition and have lower sexual side effects.” Also, unlike some other SSRIs like paroxetine, Trintellix directly modulates serotonin receptors—although its exact mechanism of action is unknown.
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By Jessica Freeborn, July 25, 2024
“Clinically, these are good reminders for areas where anyone can improve. All of us scanning this list will find some areas where we know we can improve,” non-study author Alex Dimitriu, MD a double board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, told MNT. “Personally, I found this a helpful reminder of studied factors, backed by research that improve brain health. And that is a good motivator for anyone,” he added.
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What are the causes of mouth breathing? Many children go through phases of mouth breathing that they eventually grow out of. But some people will keep the habit even past childhood. In fact, research indicates that rates of mouth breathing increase with age, especially among men. In adults, mouth breathing during sleep is usually caused by something that blocks your nose, noted Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified psychiatrist and sleep specialist.
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By Kelly O’Sullivan, July 18, 2024
Dr. Dimitriu was consulted for this article. “We spend about a third of our lives sleeping, yet it seems like many of us still aren’t sure if we’re getting the rest we need. If you want to learn more about your sleep health but don’t want to wear a gadget on your wrist or finger, the best non-wearable sleep trackers might be worth trying. These devices use advanced technology to gather data about your sleep patterns and—unlike smart watches or fitness trackers—are usually placed under your mattress or on your nightstand.”
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By Suzy Hernandez, July 11, 2024
The top cooling comforters incorporate advanced cooling technologies, along with materials like cotton, eucalyptus, and bamboo, which Dr. Dimitriu identifies as the coolest and most effective for dispersing heat and enhancing ventilation.
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By Sarah Bradley, July 8, 2024
Alex Dimitriu, MD, psychiatrist, sleep medicine specialist, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, says many experts compare the use of Vraylar during pregnancy to that of Abilify (aripiprazole). The two drugs are closely related, he adds, but Abilify has been around longer and studied far more than Vraylar. “In the medical literature, aripiprazole is pregnancy category C, meaning it has been shown to have adverse effects in animals and uncertain effects in humans,” Dr. Dimitriu says.
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By Beth Ann Mayer, July 6, 2024
We’ll get more into brain zap causes in a bit, but research and experts point to abruptly stopping antidepressant medications as the No. 1 trigger. “Venlafaxine, in particular, has been associated with these symptoms, but other serotonergic antidepressants, especially with short half-lives, can cause them as well,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine. A 2020 review of previous studies involving more than 2,300 people who had taken antidepressants found that 42.5% of them said they felt brain zaps.
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By Jessica Freeborn, July 5, 2024
Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, who was not involved in the current study, offered further insight into antidepressants to MNT: “The most common uses of antidepressants are for depression and anxiety, where they can significantly boost mood, energy while reducing negative thoughts, obsessive thoughts, and rumination. It is believed that antidepressants may also work by increasing levels of BDNF — brain-derived neurotrophic factor. BDNF is like miracle grow for neurons, which often means it can help people change old patterns of thinking, and be more open to new ideas, perspectives, which can be helpful.”
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By Dr. Alex Dimitriu, July 2, 2024
In psychiatry and medicine in general, sleep should be considered a vital sign. Almost every psychiatric condition, whether anxiety or bipolar disorder, ADHD or dementia, is substantially affected by lack of quality sleep. Poor sleep undermines impulse control, making us “bingey,” settling for quick fixes over more meaningful goals; harder stuff takes perseverance and discipline—that is, impulse control. More than a decade of work as a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist has taught me that helping people sleep better is most of the cure.
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By Sarah Bradley, July 2, 2024
“Most people taking any type of psychiatric medication should try to avoid alcohol entirely, or at least greatly minimize their intake,” said Alex Dimitriu, MD, psychiatrist, sleep medicine specialist, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California.
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