If you've got sleep apnea, perk up: There's a clinic in Provo geared toward people just like you.

Central Utah Clinic's Sleep Disorders Center has won accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to treat sleep-related breathing disorders. The accreditation lasts five years and is the product of a comprehensive review of the center's medical procedures, privacy standards and billing practices.

Barbara Jensen, director of the Sleep Disorder Center, said the accreditation is an acknowledgement of the work the staff has been doing.

"We are pleased to be recognized as a quality program in sleep disorders medicine," she said. "Sadly, sleep disorders disrupt life. We want people to know we are here to help them regain normalcy."

To be accredited, the center had to prove it can diagnose the full spectrum of sleep disorders, including insomnia, narcolepsy, sleepwalking and sleep terrors. Beyond that, it also offers follow-up care for patients with sleep-related breathing disorders.

As part of the diagnosis process, patients can sleep at the clinic and be monitored by medical equipment and staff to determine how and when problems are occurring, clinic spokeswoman Rachelle Carling said.

Symptoms of sleep disorders include snoring, choking, difficulty falling asleep, high blood pressure, morning headaches, dry mouth and sore throat. Sleep apnea, a common disorder in which the back of the throat collapses during sleep, stopping breathing, can increase the risk of stroke and heart attack.

There are currently five other sleep disorders centers in Utah, including ones at American Fork Hospital and Utah Valley Regional Medical Center Physicians Plaza, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

• Ace Stryker can be reached at (801) 344-2556 or astryker@heraldextra.com.