Taylor808,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

My first observation is to stop wasting time with your doctor. As usual, he is not much help. Few ever are.

The most important issue right now is getting good sleep. The waking up could indicate that you are not breathing properly. Upper neck inflammation can cause this as it can cause other sleep issues. Try sleeping with your head and neck straight. If you sleep on your back, sleep with a thin pillow that is bunched at the sides so you head does not roll/tip to the side.

Lifting weights tends to cause neck muscle tightening. Pay attention to not tighten your neck muscles or stop lifting for a while.

Do not test the impact spot. There is no purpose to that. It will likely be tender for many more months. The nerves in the skin on the skull take a long time to heal. They have no bearing on your concussion.

Take the magnesium at the end of the day. Personally, I would not take the melatonin. Many people roller coaster through sleep with it. Some take an extended release form to get lasting benefit.

Instead, reduce your activity and stimulation level a few hours before bed so your sleep system starts to kick in. Find low stimulation distractions to help your brain let go. If you think about the next day's activities at the end of the day, write down any tasks so you can avoid thinking about the next day.

You will likely benefit from some upper neck therapy. When you hit the concrete, the skull stopped moving but your neck/cervical vertebra tried to keep moving toward the ground. This strained the joints between C-2 and C-1 and between C-1 and your skull. It takes months for the ligaments to heal properly. Upper cervical PT or chiropractic therapy can help. Some osteopaths can help.

Stay away from getting buzzed. There is too much risk. The experts suggest a single serving is OK.