| I've struggled with sleep for various reasons for most of my life, and I've put a lot of energy into diagnosing the disruptions. Have you made any observations about the pattern of waking that could provide clues about why it's happening? I'm happy to share a few of the discoveries I've made for myself over the years in case one of them leads you down a productive path. I had a horrible bout of insomnia early in my career. I'd never given much thought to depression, but it turned out to be the culprit. In my experience, even low grade depression or anxiety (including seasonal affective disorder) can have a major impact on sleep. I have chronically tight hip flexors due to a spinal injury and years of desk work. At some point I discovered that a quick hip flexor stretch plus sitting in a deep squat for 30 - 60 seconds right before bed is really helpful for me falling asleep and staying asleep. In the last two years I noticed that my sleep quality really tanked. At some point, I decided to start monitoring my oxygen levels with a continuous monitor (from Wellue) even though I don't have much of an issue snoring or other signs associated with sleep apnea. After observing increasingly frequent dips into the 75 - 85% range, my doctor ordered a sleep study and we confirmed a central sleep apnea diagnosis. The CPAP definitely wasn't an immediate boon to my sleep, but I have noticed the difference now that I'm maintaining a healthy oxygen level through the night. Even with that improvement, my overall sleep quality is still pretty crap and that can still take a toll on my mental acuity during the day. I did make one more useful observation in the past month when I noticed that I was waking up more and more frequently from shoulder pain. I think that this problem has been building for awhile, and I've had some luck already rearranging pillows to reduce the pressure (plus exercises and stretches). Whether or not any of these are familiar, I hope you can get to the bottom of the issue quickly. Hang in there, and don't forget to be patient with yourself as you work through it. |