Use of Anti-Snoring Device Rises

Across the USA, 1,475 centers are accredited by the sleep medicine academy, up from 857 in 2004. Sleep testing labs increased bed capacity nationwide by 13 percent in the past year and plan a 17 percent increase next year, says a July report by analyst Michael Matson of Wachovia Capital Markets.

"At one point, we had 16 beds" in sleep testing labs in the area, says Albino, whose center has four beds. "Sleep centers were seen as a profit-making venture."

Lady Lake and its surrounding community for the over-55 population, The Villages, has grown to more than 75,000 people in a few years. That's helped fuel the increase, Albino says.

Albino, who runs a sleep testing lab as part of his practice, says about four testing beds per 100,000 people is generally considered ideal. Lady Lake and its surrounding area have more than four times that number.

"This is a disease of the future," he says.