Hi lwilson, Welcome.

I'm not diabetic by any testing, but I'm overweight (to be kind to myself), a carboholic, chocoholic, have an insatiable sweet tooth, and sugar is definitely a trigger mechanism for me.

Odd as it may seem, by some definitions, your husband may be addicted to sweets. Two such definitions are:
20012011Does any of that jibe/sound familiar?

Excessive/widely fluctuating sugar levels can affect my sleep cycles, highten my perception of pain, and further damage nerves, exacerbating PN symptoms.

I am on a diet for intractable pain that is very low in carbohydrates, and high in protein & good fats, which not only helps control my pain, but it's the only diet I can lose weight on (albeit slowly).
http://pain-topics.org/pdf/IntractablePainSurvival.pdf

I have other pain issues than PN, and I'm intimately familiar with irregular sleep cycles (I use a cpap machine for obstructive sleep apnea). I have fallen asleep (and occasionally still do) in some very awkward situations. The best way I found to deal with that was to finally just let go and stop stressing about it. I try to keep as normal sleep patterns as I can (following all the sage wisdom for insomniacs), but like your husband, I can rarely sleep more than 4 hours at a time, so I do what I have to do: get up for a while, take naps, and sleep when I can.

Last year, after reading the work of Dr. Forest Tennant on hormone therapy for chronic/intractable pain, I had my adrenal hormone levels checked. Adrenal hormones can be depleted/suppressed by longterm chronic pain and/or opioid use. Insufficient hormones can affect sleep cycles and the perception of pain as well. Since undergoing some simple therapy under my doctor's supervision, I've experienced a dramatic improvement in many aspects of how I feel.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread156416.html

What has helped my PN the most is learning all I can about PN, reading information here and elsewhere, keeping off the sugar, and getting on a regimen of supplements (discussed in this forum) that help control my PN symptoms, have halted its progression, and are now healing. The numbness that, at its worst went halfway up my calves, is now confined to the front half of my feet, and some sensation is returning there as well. If I kept eating sweets the way I used to most of my life, I have no doubts I'd be diabetic and my PN would be far worse than it is.

I won't tell you all this is easy. It takes resolve, a lot of (sometimes difficult) lifestyle changes, and the support of my wife & friends, but the longer I follow my "new rules" the better I feel and the easier it becomes. A live (in-person) support group is (IMO) best, but if not available, this is the next best thing. I can/will make no promises of results, but there is more information, experience, & support here than anywhere else I know of or can access.

Doc