When Sleeping, Apple Music stops or Crashes but Air Pods Pro 3 Remain Connected

• Issue just started 3 days ago.
• I sleep with 1 Air Pod Pro 3 in my ear at night (a switch ears every night)...have done this nightly for 1.5 years with no problem until now.
• Normally, I start a track from an onboard Apple Music play list (not streamed) and close my phone, lay down and it goes all night (or til the Air Pod battery dies)
• Phone battery fulled charged
• During the last 3 night, I do same workflow, but the track/app will just randomly stop...some times only after a few seconds, other times, can take 10 minutes...very random in terms of timing
• can reproduce over and over
• Can reproduce this laying perfectly flat/still, or by moving onto my side
• when it happens, the Apple Music app appears to have stopped/crashed and disappeard from my Dynamic Island
• Air Pod still appears to be connected to my iphone and ANC is still functioning
• I can double-click the Air Pod, but while it does restart Apple Music, it is with a different and random track...however, it will then continue for the rest of the night no problem
• Have done full reset of the Air Pods, Updated iOS (currently on 26.1, issue started while on last version of iOS 26)
• Don't believe it's the Automatic Ear Detection, as I don't hear the Air Pod connect/disconnect tones ever
• The PAUSE MEDIA WHEN FALLING ASLEEP is NOT activated
• During the day, this doens't seem to be an issue...have used same tracks in Music, Teams meetings, etc uninterupted...no DO NOT DISTURB is active
• I do use DO NOT DISTURB at night, but always have...no changes made to those settings in years

Thoughts/Guesses?