I take 800 mg of Skalaxin, a muscle relaxer, an hour before bedtime, and 12.5 mg of Ambien cr at bedtime. I do wake up every night with pain, and will take a pain med in the middle of the night to try to get back to sleep. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I get up every day at 6 a.m. whether or not I've slept well. And I walk with friends and our dogs every day at 7:30. Unless it's pouring rain out. I have found that by getting up early every day at the same time, even if I haven't slept well, leads to a better night's sleep the next evening. I will nap if I'm severely sick with pain, though. But not for too long.

Good luck, I HATE IT when I lose a lot of sleep. I always feel worse. I think the meds have helped me sleep much better. XOXOX Sandy