Long story short...My 16 years of insomnia was traced to mostly "self stress" through muscle testing at my local vitamin store. When I scaled my busyness and overdoing way back I began sleeping. I began saying no, cutting back my to-do list, not letting myself overdo it and letting my housework go (we live like pigs). I stopped waking often about 5 years ago. I still have it only 3 times a year or if I drink more than 3 beers and when I do it's a signal to slow down and declutter my schedule.
Don't bother going to a sleep doc. unless you suspect restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea. They'll just tell you that you're a lousy sleeper like they did me and prescribe meds that stop working after a few weeks. And make you gain weight!
Try bach flower essence with slowing down your life...you can get a bottle at the health food store. Buy white chestnut or is it red chestnut? Tell them you want the one for "mental chatter" that happens when you wake at night.
Or you may want to check out "healerswhoshare.com" and found someone who can muscle test their remedies and see if one relates to your insomnia. About 1/3 of my insomnia related to these very low level funks I would get into about 3 times a year that lasted several weeks. I didn't even realize I was having them because I was so productive and busy.
A TCM practitioner will tell you that anything that happens between 1-3am relates to the liver system which is also related to anger. I don't know about you, but when I'm very busy or in a sad funk I am irritable and hard to be around! I started getting accupuncture monthly about a year ago and it really helps calm you down and get rid of stress. But you're going to have to learn to pull back from this way to crazy world too.
Good luck, I feel for you. Waking up and not going back to sleep is no fun.
Blessings, Deb
