Mary Helen Rogers is the ISPA vp of marketing and communications at the International Sleep Products Association. When she’s not connecting with members, talking to media or reviewing the latest round of Better Sleep Council research, she says she enjoys a good book, bad television and working out with a friend. Rogers travels often, visiting her significant other, Tim, in Asheville, North Carolina, and her daughter, Aliina, who attends the University of South Carolina. When she’s home in Virginia, she hangs out with her teenage son, Alec, and “keeps up with whatever life throws at her.”
BedTimes: Tell us about your bedtime routine.
Mary Helen Rogers: I do the whole skin care thing — wash my face, lotions, potions and say a little prayer they all work — because let’s be real, I’m no longer a spring chicken. I put my heating pad between the sheets, so my bed is nice and toasty when I crawl in. Then it’s Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (I’m addicted) and these weird little warming eye masks that are supposed to be good for your eye health. It’s a whole thing but it helps me wind down.
BT: How many hours do you typically sleep?
MHR: I am a horrible night owl. I’d stay up until midnight and sleep past 9 a.m. if I could. I need six hours to be human, seven to survive but if you want me thriving, give me eight.
BT: Pets in the bed? Yay or nay?
MHR: I have a cat, Bentley, my fierce mouse hunter by day. But when it’s bedtime she turns into a total snuggle bunny, curling right behind my knees. She’s a tuxedo rescue, about 9 or 10 years old and is basically a dog trapped in a cat’s body. Even my cat-hating friends can’t help but love her.
BT: Barefoot or socks?
MHR: Socks for about a minute because I keep my room freezing, then I kick them off. It’s the whole cool head and warm feet helping you sleep concept.
BT: What is the best sleep product you own and why?
MHR: My dinosaur weighted pillow from Target. Her name is Bartha.
BT: What are your best sleep tips?
MHR: Sound machine, always. I have a travel one that goes with me everywhere.
BT: Where is the last place you got a great night’s sleep that wasn’t your house?
MHR: Honestly, it takes about two nights to sleep well when I’m not at home, so I am a “home sweet home” girl when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep.
BT: What do you do that breaks traditional sleep rules?
MHR: Doomscrolling. The Instagram Reels get me every time.
BT: What do you do if you have insomnia?
MHR: Read. Amber light only so this is where a Kindle is a good buy.
BT: OK, now for a game of “Would You Rather?” Sleep mask or sound machine?
MHR: Sound machine
BT: Physical book or Kindle?
MHR: Both. It depends on the venue.
BT: Before bed — read a book, watch a show or listen to a podcast?
MHR: Read.
BT: Is there anything else you want to add?
MHR: It’s all about the bed! I have an amazing mattress, and I’m a total snob when it comes to pillows, sheets and comforters. There are pillows I can’t live without, my sheets have to be smooth (keep your flannel and microfiber) and I need a big, heavy, fluffy comforter — sometimes even two.
Read more BedTimes’ Nightcap Q&As.
