Thank you for your information. I'll certainly follow up with the notable ideas. I do feel I may be resigned to having REM sleep disturbances throughout the night for a variety of reasons. Plus, it may be that I just need a full 8 hours of sleep a night. Thanks for idea of the "sleep cycle". I don't mind paying for something that works. I've never tested for obstructive sleep apnea, but I do have a snoring problem for which I use a special snore guard that keeps my bottom jaw jutted out and keeps my airway more open.
I'm trying to avoid cortisone shots lately, but may need to get one for increasingly chronic back pain. I've heard the steroid does some destructive activity on cartilage. I prefer for now to pursue the hyaluronic acid option which has a choice of several grades of HLA. One is a series of 3 shots in a row for 3 consecutive weeks. There is a thicker version that is just one shot, but costs $450. I've had 2 steroid shots in my back hip area, but the effect on my back is brief, a couple of weeks. There's always the 24-shot nerve ablation option for my back to consider. I'll need to see a specialist again to arrange that. Thanks again!