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Next to My Bed: Marisa Meltzer

Next to My Bed: Marisa Meltzer

Welcome to our latest installment of Next to My Bedfeature on Hill House Home's 40 Winks Blog that takes an up close and personal look at what some of our friends keep next to their bed.

If you’re a frequent reader of The New York Times, Vanity Fair, or New York Magazine, you’ve most likely seen Marisa Meltzer’s byline. The NYC-based writer is known for her witty, tongue-in-cheek, first person narratives centered around the fitness/beauty/wellness space.

In April 2020, she released her third book, This is Big, a look at the life of Jean Neidich, founder of Weight Watchers, paralleled with her own experience attending Weight Watchers on her journey to "self-improvement." If you’re looking for an honest and unexpectedly funny look at one of the country’s biggest (pun intended) phenomenon, you should go to your local curbside pick-up bookstore and get your hands on a copy. 

What side of the best do you sleep on and what is your sleep position?

I sleep on my side. Sometimes I sleep side/stomach. I sleep on the left, center of my bed, but I'm a terrible sleeper. I toss and turn and often end up in the middle of my bed. I'm not one of those people that can only sleep on one side.

What can you not sleep without? 

I'm pretty trained to have my mouth guard because I grind my teeth because I'm so anxious. If I don't have it, it feels like something is missing. Also, I "pineapple" my hair, which is that loose, top-of-your-head way of keeping your hair out of your face when you sleep. It gives it a better chance of looking good the next day. Curly hair gets so crazy at night.

What is currently next to your band?

On one side, there's a small shelf/table that is bedside table height with mementos on it. There's a tile I found in Pantelleria, Italy on a hike. I went through this phase where people kept gifting me crystals. I finally put them all on this one tile near my bed. I have many different sleep potions and sprays. Sakara has a pillow mist that has lavender and witch hazel, I think. I have some essential oils for sleep. I don't know if any of them work, but I like having them near me. I also have some Aesop hand balm.

On the other side of my bed, I have this lamp that's sort of raised. I use the foot of that lamp as a side table/tray. I have an eye mask, my hair elastic, and my mouth guard. I have CBD vitamins, just in case. I have a Jonathan Adler Xanax pill case that holds my anti-depressants. And I have my Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask.

What's the strangest thing that's next your bed?

I have a sort of abstract female statue that’s kind of near my bed, but I don't know that I think of it as all that strange. There are sort of a lot of ceramics near my bed, considering that I could wake up in the middle of the night—I grew up in California so I always think in terms of earthquakes. I really use my bedroom only to sleep in. I feel strongly about that. So there's not a lot of stuff in it.

Do you keep your phone next to your bed?

I try to keep it in another room. I have an iPad that I sometimes take with me, mostly so that I can listen to sleep stories on the Calm app or Spotify. I'm a really bad insomniac so I'll wake up in the middle of the night and instead of checking Instagram, I force myself to listen to some guy talking about the Amazon.

What’s your bedtime routine in 5 steps or less?

Take my anti-depressants.

Take some CBD, because, why not?

Put my mouth guard in.

Put my hair up.

Slather my lips with a lip mask.

Check out Marisa Meltzer's new book This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World -- and Me on Amazon.com.