Insomnia can be very serious. I know I've suffered with it for most of my life. I'm better these days but if history is any guide, I'll most likely have issues again.
The first thing to do is to determine if you have a problem with sleep. If you feel fine on 5-6 hours, then maybe it ain't broke.
However if 5-6 hours leaves you a mess the next day (and I'm one of those people) then you have options.
First you would want to take note of your sleeping habits. Professionally it's called, "Sleep hygiene." Often people with insomnia can beat it with improving their sleep hygiene. It's the first thing I'd recommend for you since if you go to a good doctor, it's the first thing they'll recommend.
What you have to do is pick a bedtime. Stick to your bedtime. Don't change it for weekends. It must be the same every day. Also you must pick a wake-up time. Make it the same time every day. Stick to the schedule. Consistency is key here. Also you may want to have a night-time "ritual" that is the same before you go to bed. It can be something like, you brush your teeth, slip into your sleeping clothes, open the window a crack for air, get into bed, turn the light off, and go to sleep. Also they recommend that the bed be used for nothing but sleep. This means don't eat in bed, watch tv in bed, read in bed, study in bed, or anything else but sleep. That way your body and mind can get accustomed to the ritual of going to bed and your body and mind will know that once you get into the bed, that you will be falling asleep.
If this doesn't cut it, and for some of us, it doesn't do the trick entirely, then you might want to try some other simple household remedies first. I have a long list that I try.
Eat something starchy (I find a baked potato can work wonders)
Drink a warm glass of milk
Eat turkey (or something else with tryptophans)
Drink chamomile tea
Take a soothing aromatherapy bath (lavendar helps me)
Sprinkle lavendar scented water on your bed
Then I have some remedies that I use that are a little more chemical. I am not a doctor and your mileage may very.
Sometimes I take the following (not all at once I rotate these "treatments")
Valerian
Skullcap
Passion Flower
Hops
Kava Kava (be careful with this one)
Melatonin
Magnesium
B-Vitamins
Inositol
Then sometimes I'll try the benadryl/diphenhydramine pills. Almost all sleep aids that are over the counter have diphenhydramine (generic for benadryl) in them. It's an antihistamine (used for allergic reactions usually). These include Sominex, SleepGels, or Compoz. Tylenol PM contains this drug in it and adds acetaminophen (the active ingredient of Tylenol). If you are going to go this route, be careful. First it's useless to by the brand name stuff, you're paying more for the same stuff in the generic Waldryl or whatever pills with diphenhydramine. Also if you are using Tylenol PM be aware that you are using Tylenol and it can be hard on the liver if you are using it all the time. If you don't need the Tylenol, again, just take the generic diphenhydramine pills.
Also they use another antihistamine in over the counter sleep aids called doxylamine succinate. You'll find this drug in Unisom. It's basically the same as diphenhydramine, it just costs more.
Also, antihistamines can leave you groggy in the morning and "out of sorts." Some people don't tolerate them well. And they've done studies that say that these drugs actually interrupt your sleep architecture meaning that you don't get a restful sleep. And these drugs can make you a bit "loopy."
Next down the chain for me are the prescribed drugs used for sleep.
Benzodiazepines have been used for decades to help people sleep. The problem with them is that most interrupt your sleep architecture and they can be addictive if taken regularly. Commonly prescribed Benzos for sleep are:
diazepam (Valium)
lorazepam (Ativan; Temesta; Tavor)
oxazepam (Serax; Serepax)
temazepam (Restoril; Normison)
triazolam (Halcion)
estazolam (ProSom)
clorazepate (Tranxene)
Alprazolam (Xanax) is often used in the USA to induce sleep too. I take a benzodiazepine for restless legs syndrom and bruxism (grinding teeth) called clonazepam (Klonopin/Rivotril) at a very low dose and I'm monitored on my use of it. It can help with my sleep patterns. I take it before bed every night.
Then there is Ambien. I've tried both the regular Ambien and the Ambien CR. I have to say that I prefered the Ambien CR. It helped me fall asleep and stay asleep most of the time. I only used Ambien once a week or once every other week. It's a good idea not to take it all the time because I found that I could build a tolerance.
Also, I was put on Neurontin (Gabapentin) for a long time and I have extra that I have left over from that period. It can make me drowsy and help me sleep. I'll take a small dose of this sometimes to help (very rarely).
So even with the prescription drugs I take them rarely. I try sleep hygiene mainly. If that doesn't work, I go to a non-drug method. Then I'll resort to an herb or a supplement. As a last resort, when I know it's going to be very bad, I'll take a prescription med.
Good luck.