Macbook goes to sleep and doesn't wake up unless I do a hard reboot.

I have seen this caused by having a mouse plugged into mine. I have removed the mouse and touch the touchpad and it has come up from sleep.

That very well may not be your problem.

Here is the procedure that is recommend from Apple to help with the not waking from sleep problem. I included both methods as it is not clear which macbook you have. I also included the link to the article at the bottom.

The System Management Controller is an integrated circuit (computer chip) that is on the logic board of the computer. As the name implies, it is responsible for power management of the computer. It controls backlighting, hard disk spin down, sleep and wake, some charging aspects, trackpad control, and some input/output as it relates to the computer sleeping.

Over time, the settings in the System Management Controller may become unusable, which can result in operational anomalies with the computer. Examples include not turning on, not waking from sleep, not charging the battery, or not recognizing the AC Adapter, among others.

MacBook (13 inch, Late 2008), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008), and MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008)

1. If the computer is on, turn it off.
2. Disconnect the AC adapter and remove the computer's battery.
3. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds and then release the button.
4. Reconnect the battery and AC Adapter.
5. Press the power button to restart the computer

Note: Starting with MacBook Pro (Late 2008) and MacBook (Late 2008) models, you may instead use the reset method for MacBook Air (below) to reset the SMC. All earlier models of MacBook and MacBook Pro must use the method described above, which involves removing the battery.
MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (Late 2008 and later)

1. If the computer is on, turn it off by choosing Shutdown from the Apple () menu.
2. Connect the power adapter to a working power source.
3. On the built-in keyboard, press (left) Shift-Control-Option along with the power button once.
4. Wait 5 seconds and press the power button to start the computer.

Note: You must use the keys on the left side of the built-in keyboard.


Here is the link to the article at the Apple support site.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411