Brandon Jones and his mother, Ella Jones, are running the new Tranquility Sleep Center in Ypsilanti Township.

Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com

Jones, who also founded ITD Physical Therapy Clinic in Southfield, said Tranquility Sleep Center would provide screening services for sleeping disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia and restless leg syndrome.

The business, located at 5401 Whittaker Road, opened in late July. It's among about half a dozen testing centers in Washtenaw that are capitalizing on recent medical warnings about the lack of sleep and its impact on emotional and physical well being.

Jones, 31, an Ypsilanti Township resident and graduate of Eastern Michigan University, is the CEO and is working with his mother, Ella Jones, who serves as chief of operations. He said he invested about $150,000 in the new company, which occupies 2,500 square feet in a medical office center on Whittaker Road.

Among the features of the new sleep center are high thread-count sheets, private bathrooms, flat-screen TVs, wireless Internet access and personal bathrobes. A typical stay begins at 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. and ends in the early morning.

Tranquility Sleep Center employs five "sleep technicians," two of them registered polysomnographic technologists and three certified polysomnographic technologists. Its medical directors are sleep doctors Ashok Gupta and Chandra Gera.

Since it opened a month ago, about 15 to 20 patients — some as young as 12 years old — have been referred to the center by their doctors for testing. Jones prides himself on a quick turnaround time for test results. He said it takes no more than 72 hours to deliver a full report and said there's no waiting list for appointments.

"Even smaller sleep centers are booked two to three weeks out," he said. "Wait lists are too long. Sleep problems can be life-threatening if not treated right away.''

Most insurance policies, including Medicare and Medicaid, cover the tests, Jones said, which range from $600 to $1,500 apiece.

Jones said the sleep center has space to add two additional bedrooms as demand increases.

Most patients referred to Tranquility have obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing is interrupted during sleep, cutting off oxygen to the sleeper. Patients typically have two tests — a baseline test, or diagnostic polysomnogram, and CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) titration.

Tranquility offers split-night polysomnograms (for more severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea), adaptive servo ventilation titration, multiple sleep latency tests, maintenance of wakefulness tests and positive airway pressure complete care program, which teaches patients how to use breathing equipment at home because they often don't when they leave a hospital setting, Jones said.

"Patient will come in, put on various masks to get comfortable with the machine, so when it's delivered they'll use it. We're trying to relieve side effects so patients will continue with therapy," he said.

Opening the Tranquility Sleep Center was a natural progression for an entrepreneur whose family has always been connected to the health care world. Jones' father retired as engineer at the heating-cooling plant at St. Joseph Mercy Health System, and Ella Jones has spent a career working in physicians' offices. Jones himself had a career in sales, the last job as a pharmaceutical rep. He said it wasn't nearly as fulfilling as meeting and helping people.

"I love watching people get better, seeing the look on people's faces when the doctor has an answer to their problems. I love what I do," Jones said.

Julie Edgar is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com.