How can I get sleepy enough to take a nap?

Reading works for me only if it is pretty boring material.

Darken the room, get a comfy pillow, maybe even get a dream machine (we use Homedics) to set a peaceful mood in your room, and then lay down and inhale and exhale deeply for 4 seconds each and keep repeating. The rush of extra oxygen to your bloodstream will naturally help you relax.

Melatonin.

Watch a church sermon or a lifetime movie.

In order to regain energy, you do not have to get to full sleep mode.
Find a quiet peaceful place where you will not be interupted. Use the time to relax, put your head down, let you body think and do as much of nothing as possible. I used to do the cat nap in the past and it worked wonderfully. It wasn’t about making myself tired, but simply disconnecting from the stimulus that surrounds one and removing the noise.
There has been much written about Leonardo da Vinci and sleeping only 3 hours a day by utilizing many cat naps. I never dug into it more than surface, but any true rest will help.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Stick a Steve Martin movie on, works for me everytime…....ZZZzzzzzzz!

Reading always works for me., or perhaps a warm bath, then go to bed, close the curtains and read until you feel drowsy.

Meditate

Take a melatonin tablet and read a book on rhetoric, that works for me. You could also watch professional baseball or cricket, if that doesn’t put you to sleep, you don’t need a nap.

I also do that after a trip from China back to the U.S. If you can get to sleep at your regular bed time; you can get up in the morning with almost no jet lag.

listen to a boring podcast at medium low volume, just enough to crowd out other sounds.

I’d avoid melatonin for a nap, its effects last too long.

drink some alcohol. Of you don’t drink much 1 glass would be enough to get to sleep. Works for my wife :-)

Okay I am going to say NSFW (I just learned what that means) masturbate.

Lay down in your bed, dark room, and make sure your hands and feet are warm. Also, don’t have caffeine right before you want to nap.

I use ear plugs and a sleep mask. I also can meditate and fall asleep pretty quickly. Masturbating helps too.

Masturbating actually isn’t a bad idea. I always zonk out after. Also alcohol. Or warm milk. Definitely darken the room. I used to listen to Debussy’s Clair De Lune to fall asleep on trains.

@sliceswiththings, that sounds like the makings of a rather eventful evening as well. With or without s/o.

Watch a boring movie or show on t.v.