Unable to sleep / Nightmares - Possible cause?

During the last few weeks, I have been unable to sleep throughout the night. I wake/get up at least 3-4 times and each time am unable to fall back to sleep for over 30 minutes. I am going to bed about 9-11 pm, depending upon my schedule, and my alarm goes off at 6:45 am each weekday morning. Even on weekends I am unable to sleep throughout the night. One night, I even got up and cleaned the house from 2-4 am to try to make myself tired. It didn't really work.

Also, when I do sleep, I continue to have unsettling dreams/nightmares, sometimes about weird creatures to more basic dreams about ex-boyfriends that are cheating on me in the dream. All of my dreams are lucid and I can wake myself up at will each time and I know its a dream.

Does anyone have any remedy for these sleep problems? I have seen a specialist before, for anxiety, which I am prone to, as well as insomnia. I was taken a sleep aid last year, but I felt uncomfortable with my level of dependency and decided to try natural methods, such as long baths, warm milk, and relaxing/stretching before bed.

Has anyone shared these experiences and found any solutions or something that helped? I am so exhausted during the day and it is definitely affecting my mood and my alertness. Sometimes I feel dizzy and have trouble focusing while at work. I come home and all I want to do is sleep, but if I do sleep, then I really have difficulty getting on a normal schedule. I work from 8-5 daily and work from 5-8 one day a week, so I have to keep a regular schedule.