By Cathy Kimmel
Review Staff Writer
The new Lake Orion Sleep Center can help put your sleeping problems to bed.
According to Dr. Daniel Maxwell, this new location, opened since April, is part of a five-office practice and is dedicated to sleep disorders.
‘There’s a whole slew of disorders running around out there. We treat all of them,? he said, noting that they deal with anything from snoring, sleepwalking, sleep apnea to narcolepsy and many more.
‘These disorders range from annoying to life-threatening,? Maxwell added.
The most common, he said, is sleep apnea, or when you stop breathing while you sleep.
‘This is very common in overweight people, but we’re seeing it in all populations, skinny and overweight,? Maxwell added about this life-threatening condition where your airway collapses, causing you to suck harder but not get any air.
People that have sleep apnea present with complaints of tiredness due to continually awakening during sleep. When you stop breathing, after so long it wakes your body up. While you may not be conscious of being awoken, it prevents your body from entering into deep sleep and getting the rest you need. The result is tiredness the next day.
Maxwell said that in about half of the cases, it’s the spouse that realizes problem. After all, while lying in bed next to them, they can hear and realize when their spouse stops breathing during sleep.
If you or a spouse suffers from symptoms like this, Maxwell said the first step is to get an exam and they will establish your sleep history. Then you participate in a sleep lab test.
‘We have a brand new state of the art lab that is designed for comfort and patient convenience,? he added, describing their lab as a ‘comfortable, home-like? setting.
The sleep test gives them a chance to observe and evaluate your sleep pattern.
‘We offer a comprehensive sleep evaluation and treat in conjunction with a primary physician,? said Maxwell.
Once this has occurred, he said they will develop the best therapy to treat the problem.
For example, if they chose to treat by using a machine, Maxwell said that they would go over the findings and the treatment and then stay involved, including checking the machine to make sure it’s working and is the best treatment option.
When it comes to treating disorders, it can help in things you may not even suspected.
A lot of kids have a label of ADD and ADHD, Maxwell said. Sometimes their inability to focus can stem from their lack of deep sleep through the night.
‘If you are always tired, it makes it hard to focus,? he added.
For those individuals that think they may be suffering from a sleep disorder, he said to give the Lake Orion Sleep Center a call at (248)232-0110. They are located at 1455 South Lapeer Road, Suite 12 (in the lower level).
And for those people who feel tired throughout the day from lack of sleep at night, Maxwell has one thing to say.
‘I can’t fix that,? he said with a smile, telling them to get some more sleep.