Sleep medicine deals with the causes, diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. A sleep medicine physician treats problems such as sleep apnea and snoring, insomnia and narcolepsy. Sleep apnea is when a person actually stops breathing for a few seconds during sleep, and is usually accompanied by loud snoring. Narcolepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system, and is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, and a tendency to sleep at inappropriate times, even if the person gets adequate nighttime sleep. Also considered sleep disorders are periodic limb movements and restless legs.

Treatment includes overnight study in a sleep center, where technicians observe, monitor, and analyze brain activity, respiratory function, muscle function and other variables that help diagnose complex sleep disorders. Sometimes a physician may fit a patient may with a device to measure a person's activity, their environmental temperature, light levels and mood state, all recorded by a computer the size of wrist watch. This allows the physician to get objective, accurate data on the patient's daily life, and help to assess sleep problems.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Florida has 82 practicing sleep medicine doctors. Broken out by city, sleep medicine doctor density in Aventura is 1, in Boca Raton is 2, in Bonita Springs is 1, in Boynton Beach is 1, in Brandon is 1, in Clearwater is 4, in Coral Gables is 4, in Delray Beach is 1, in Destin is 1, in Estero is 1, in Fort Lauderdale is 4, in Fort Myers is 2, in Fort Walton Beach is 1, in Gainesville is 4, in Hialeah is 7, in Hollywood is 3, in Homestead is 3, in Hudson is 1, in Jacksonville is 3, in Jensen Beach is 1, in Jupiter is 2, in Kissimmee is 1, in Lady Lake is 2, in Lake Mary is 3, in Largo is 1, in Lauderhill is 1, in Lehigh Acres is 1, in Loxahatchee is 1, in Macclenny is 1, in Maitland is 1, in Margate is 1, in Melbourne is 6, in Miami is 12, in Miami Beach is 1, in Naples is 2, in New Smyrna Beach is 1, in Niceville is 1, in North Palm Beach is 1, in Ocala is 1, in Orange City is 1, in Orlando is 8, in Ormond Beach is 1, in Palm Beach Gardens is 1, in Palm Springs is 1, in Pembroke Pines is 3, in Pensacola is 2, in Plant City is 1, in Saint Augustine is 1, in Saint Petersburg is 3, in Sanford is 1, in Sebring is 1, in South Miami is 3, in Tamarac is 1, in Tampa is 6, in Tavares is 3, in The Villages is 3, in Valrico is 1, in Venice is 1, in Viera is 1, and in Wesley Chapel is 1.

Florida’s warm and humid subtropical climate makes it a winter destination for many. Population in 2000 was 15,982,378, according to census statistics. Tallahassee, located in the north panhandle area, is the state capital. Tourism is a major industry in Florida, with Cape Canaveral, Disney World, the Everglades National Park, Universal Studios, the Atlantic coast and the Gulf coast all destinations for visitors and residents. Year-round outdoor activities include camping, golf, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing and boating.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Florida has a population of 17,789,864. Of this population, 3,975,071 are under the age of 18 and 2,978,335 are at or above the age of 65.