Hm. You might want to reexamine your sleep hygiene (google sleep +hygiene +tips, which is a list of boring stuff your mom always told you, but important). Your circadian rhythms may have gotten messed up.

In particular, getting up at the same time seven days a week, and trying to go to bed at the same time seven days a week is really important. However, if you go to bed and can't fall asleep, get up and don't go back to bed until you're sleepy.

Reliance even on melatonin long-term can be somewhat problematic (concerns that the body might stop producing melatonin on its own). Avoid light in the blue end of the spectrum from two hours before bedtime: blue-blocking glasses, f.lux on the computer, no TV/iPhone. Try to get some daylight exposure first thing in the a.m. every day--regularizes circadian rhythm.

Try giving up coffee.

Have yourself screened for depression (the terminal insomnia). Have yourself screened for anxiety (the sleep-onset insomnia).

Do you snore? Any possibility it might be sleep apnea?

There's also something called "sleep state misperception," which is when one sleeps for normal durations, yet severely overestimates the time taken to fall asleep. Someone might believe they slept for only four hours while they, in fact, slept a full eight hours.

Wearing orange lenses about 2 hours before bed times helps me out. I fall asleep faster on the days I remember to wear them before bedtime. The glasses supposedly helps with circadian rhythms. Take them off before going to bed.

http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S1933X-Eyewear-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B000USRG90/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1337818764&sr=1-1-catcorr

Try timed release melatonin. It works for me. With regular melatonin I woke up after a few hours. I take 2 x 750mcg of Life Extension six hour timed release melatonin.

Prescription sleeping pills are highly addictive and should only be used in very short-term scenarios, but I recommend avoiding them like the plague. I learned the hard way that there is no "weaning" off of the pills. Once I realized what I was doing to my body, I stopped them, which was incredibly painful. I researched the different pills and every single one I looked at mentioned they were to be used for a short period of time (like two weeks).

Health food stores (brick and mortar stores and online) carry various forms of melatonin and tryptophan.

They are seriously addictive, try GABA, it helps with sleep, it helped me and there is no nasty side effects if you decide to stop taking it

Try ZMA thirty minutes before you go to bed.

I'm so glad someone asked this. I've been taking a medication to sleep for some time (I think 1.5 years) and I really want to get off it...however as previously said, it's about impossible to make a comfortable transition from relying on them to sleeping without them. I installed the blackout curtains, I tried to wean off them while dosing melatonin...neither works. Even with the medication, I'm such a light sleeper that my husband's heavy deep sleep breathing wakes me. I can't decide if not sleeping is the greater evil, or if taking the medication is the greater evil. I mean, I don't often feel rested when I wake. I recently heard a great description of what sleeping pills do - they make you forget your thoughts - so true, but forgetting my thoughts doesn't let me feel rested. However, I once had 4 months of insomnia before getting any relief and I can tell you that it wrecked me. I know I don't want that to happen again. If I were to do it again, I would try anything and everything before taking a medication to sleep, including letting a doc do a sleep study on me.

Every now and then I take an anti histamine before bed. It makes me drowsy enough to sleep fairly well but I don't like to take it too often.

I sometimes drink Chamomile tea before i go to sleep and I find that helps. Thats more of a natural way compared to pills/medication.

Failing all "natural" remedies and sleep hygiene adjustments, you could try diphenhydramine aka Benadryl. Not usually considered habit forming.

Over the counter anti histamine works for me, I cut the pill into quarters, it is just enough to help me fall asleep when I need it and doesn't leave me groggy the next day.