No, the 2mg evening dose with a meal at 6.30pm doesn't affect my sleep. I do wake twice each night, but I've been doing that for years, so no change there. I used to take the small dose earlier at 4.30pm and there was no morning pain taking it at that time either, but I sometimes forgot to take it on time at that busier time of day. Mealtime is easier to remember for me.

I also take a small dose (1mg) of melatonin at 9.30pm, and that probably helps me get straight back to sleep after waking. I'm on a beta blocker (heart issues) which stops the production of melatonin, so it's to compensate for that. My doctor prescribes the melatonin and suggested I take the lowest dose. Melatonin has an anti-inflammatory effect, but taking more than a low dose can interfere with the effectiveness of prednisone.

No it doesn't seem to. I go to sleep usually around 11:30. Doing it this way has really helped with the morning pain.