First, you need to question whether you really need this. If you're stable, maybe you just need to schedule your naps better. (You
do need naps, don't you?)
If you wanna get exotic, there's a system of sleep that involves short naps scattered around the day. I forget the name, sposedly it can work well, but adjusting to it is very rough.
The best sleeping pill I know if is
Ambien.
Amazing stuff, very quick, lasts only 4 hours, and has no side effects the next day. Long term use could frell with your brain, but a couple weeks to rotate your clock is no problem. The only real problem is the cost -- about $2 per pill. Prescription only.
I swear by Melatonin, myself. The effect is light, but I definitely feel drowsy around 15 minutes after taking one. No known next-day effects, nor long-term effects. Again, the effect is light -- if you're not tired enough to begin with (ie. you weren't up 16+ hours) then it may not be enough, but this is generally only a problem during the first night or two of your new schedule. And you can easily stay awake through the effect too (see 'no discipline' below.
)
It's a non-medicine "nutritional suppliement," so the label is pretty much all BS (mine says "take one pill, 3 times a day.") It also means there are no studies of any sort, so there's some risk. But Melatonin has been around for quite a while now, with no compaints. I get the generic 300 mcg pills (which strangely are the same size as the 3mg pills.) And they're cheap - 3-5 cents each.
I have no discipline to do this right, so I've been using these for a couple years now. (See 'stay awake through', above.
) I'm on and off frequently, and haven't had any side effects ever.
-B