Nicola Appleton

Nicola Appleton

Sleep Editor

Nicola is the Sleep Editor at Tom’s Guide. With a career in journalism spanning two decades, Nicola brings experience to the team and the knowledge of what makes a great article, whether that’s a how-to mattress cleaning feature, a deep dive into melatonin gummies, or an in-depth mattress review. As a sleep editor, few better understand how important a decent mattress is to the overall quality of our sleep, and precisely how our sleep impacts our physical and mental health. As well as tackling the vast topic of sleep, Nicola joins the raft of expert mattress specialists at Tom’s Guide, who test and compare a wide range of mattresses in order to guide readers towards the very best options on the market.

Latest articles by Nicola Appleton

The composite image shows a memory foam pillow stained yellow with sweat and oil. One the right, the same pillow is restored to its bright white color after cleaning.
I removed deep yellow sweat stains from my memory foam pillow using a simple spot-clean solution

By Nicola Appleton Published

I restored it to bright white after just one treatment

Pillows & Bedding
The composite image shows a woman wearing a white t-shirt and green check trousers sitting crossed legged on a bed, eyes closed and hands on knees. The image on the right shows the same woman in the same position, but wearing a large pebble-shaped object around her neck. Inset in the middle a wrist displays an Apple Watch sleep score of 96.
Do you really need a $299 gadget to de-stress? I pitted a vagus nerve stimulator against $0 practices — here's the one I recommend if you can't sleep

By Nicola Appleton Published

Both methods helped me mellow out before bed, but one has become my go-to stress buster

Sleep
The image shows the silhouette of a woman with long hair standing in a field of tall grass, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun
I fixed my 3 a.m. wake-ups and brain fog by syncing my sleep with the rising and setting of the sun, just like the Amish — doctors explain why this circadian living works

By Nicola Appleton Published

I swapped late-night scrolling and artificial lights for an early-to-bed, low-tech routine for two weeks — and, along the way, discovered that good sleep is mostly free.

Sleep
The image shows a young woman sleeping peacefully in bed. Inset, another woman lies in bed awake and checks the clock - it's 3 a.m.
Stress was waking me up at 3 a.m. — until two of the world's best sleep doctors shared 5 fast fixes to lower my cortisol at night

By Nicola Appleton Published

'You are, in a real sense, running low on the very substance that makes sleep happen'

Sleep
The image shows a young woman sleeping peacefully in bed. Inset, another woman lies in bed awake and checks the clock - it's 3 a.m.
I kept waking up at 3 a.m. — until insomnia experts spotted 3 key culprits and explained how to fix them

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

No more falling asleep on the sofa — doctors share 3 simple sleep routine switches I need to make to manage my 3 a.m. wake-ups.

Sleep
The image shows a woman with short dark hair wearing a white t shirt sleeping peacefully in bed. Inset, a dark haired woman sits up in bed and check the time on her clock - it's 3 a.m.
I tried the '3-2-1 rule' to stop waking up at 3 a.m. and it fixed my middle insomnia — sleep doctors explain why

By Nicola Appleton Published

Sleep doctors explain how this simple wind down strategy has reduced my 3 a.m. wake ups, plus share their tips to beating middle insomnia.

Sleep
A dark haired woman sleeps peacefully in a white bed. Inset, a dark haired woman leans out of bed to check the clock - it's 3 a.m.
I kept waking up at 3 a.m. — sleep doctors pinpoint 3 reasons behind my middle insomnia and how to fix it

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

Insufficient sleep pressure, blood sugar fluctuations and elevated cortisol levels are all behind my middle insomnia. Here's the doctor-approved strategies I'm using to manage my 3 a.m. wake ups.

Sleep
A woman with long brown hair sleeps on her side on a comfortable pillow in a blue bedroom at night
I tried the ‘invisible day method’ to stop waking up 3 a.m. and it worked — doctors explain why

By Nicola Appleton Published

Sleep doctors explain how taking an invisible day can help lower cortisol and reduce 3 a.m. wake ups for better rest.

Sleep
A woman with long dark brown hair lies in bed holding a green alarm clock that reads 3 a.m.
I used to wake up at 3 a.m. because of a common TV habit — this doctor’s simple fix helped me finally sleep through

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

Two leading sleep doctors explain why going to bed late after getting 'second wind' of energy can contribute to waking up at 3 a.m. — and this common TV habit is one of the culprits.

Sleep
The image shows a dark haired woman wearing pink pyjamas sleeping peacefully on her back in bed. Inset, two sets of graphics show sleep tracking data.
I went from 5 to 7 hours sleep a night using the '7:1 rule' — but only after a doctor made this key change to my routine

By Nicola Appleton Published

I couldn’t stick to the 7:1 sleep rule until a doctor made this simple switch to my sleep routine. Since then, I finally feel like I’ve cracked the code to sleeping longer and better.

Sleep
TG Sleep Senior Writer Ruth Jones sleeps on her stomach on a comfy mattress
I was struggling to fall asleep, yet waking up at 3 a.m. — until an expert made this simple change to my routine

By Nicola Appleton Published

After taking these three steps to increasing my daily sleep pressure, I’ve noticed that I sleep better and for longer — here's why

Sleep
The image shows a dark haired woman wearing pink pyjamas sleeping in bed. Inset to the left, a dark haired woman is awake in bed, holding a clock in her hand that shows the time is 3 a.m.
I tried the '7:1 sleep rule' doctors rate as the best way to stop 3 a.m. wake-ups — here's why it works

By Nicola Appleton Published

I tried the '7:1 rule' doctors recommend to stop waking up at 3 a.m. — here’s what happened to my overnight sleep...

Sleep
The image shows a dark haired woman sleeping on her side on a white pillow and under a white duvet. Inset to the left, graphics of a sleep stat show a sleep duration of 5h 12m
I get less than 6 hours sleep — doctors share 5 golden rules to help me get more sleep to boost my longevity and health

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

I regularly get less than six hours of sleep. Here, 5 sleep doctors share their advice for getting more sleep to protect my long term health, starting from tonight.

Sleep
The image shows a a man steam cleaning a grey fabric headboard. Inset on top of the picture on the left is a close-up image of a bed bug.
‘I brought bed bugs home with me from holiday — here's everything I'm doing to get rid of them’

By Nicola Appleton Published

The 5 things I'm doing to get rid of bed bugs — and the 2 things next on my list

Mattresses
A woman with short brown hair vacuums under her bed because an allergist said it's a hidden dust trap that could be trigging her 3 a.m. wake-ups
Allergist reveals 3 hidden dust traps that are secretly destroying your sleep quality and waking you up in th night

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

'It’s not just dust; it’s the microscopic critters living in it.' Dr. Stephanie Kayode reveals the overlooked spots triggering your 3 a.m. allergy symptoms

Sleep
The image shows a dark haired woman lying in bed with her eyes open. A blue cloud-shaped Tom's Guide Sleep Week 2026 is overlaid on top of the image in the bottom right hand corner.
For months I’ve been waking up at 3 a.m. with anxiety — a doctor shared this trick to falling asleep in seconds and it's a game changer for my sleep

By Nicola Appleton Published

A sleep doctor shares his trick to falling back to sleep in seconds following 3 a.m. wake-ups — here’s what it is and how to try it tonight.

Sleep
A woman sleeps peacefully in her bed under a white duvet, while a small stack of books can be seen on her bedside table
This 1-minute nightly habit could add four years to your life — a longevity doctor and sleep health expert explains why

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

This simple hack could be the key to sticking to the '60 minute bedtime rule'

Sleep
The image shows a dark haired woman wearing a beige nightshirt sleeping peacefully in bed
Over 40? The 7:1 sleep rule is the single most important 'longevity hack' you aren't doing

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

Doctors explain how sticking to two key sleep hygiene habits in middle age and beyond can add four years to your life and protect against cognitive decline

Sleep
The composite image shows a dark haired woman sleeping peacefully in bed on the left and a dark haired woman sitting up in bed and drinking a cup of coffee in front of an open window
Doctor shares bedroom window hack that helps you skip 3am wake ups and fall asleep fast — I tried it and here's what happened to my sleep

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

'Shock ventilation' of my bedroom is leading to longer, deeper sleep — here's how to do it...

Sleep
The image shows a man lying in bed with his eyes open and his arm resting on the top of his head. A digital clock beside him shows the time is 3AM
'Your nervous system thinks you’re in danger' — two sleep doctors explain why I'm waking up at 3 a.m. and how to stop

By Nicola Appleton Published

From breathing activities to strict boundaries surrounding your news consumption, two sleep doctors share their advice to calm your stressed out nervous system for better sleep.

Sleep
The image shows a blonde-haired woman sitting up in bed in the dark with her hands on her face
Trouble sleeping was the first sign I was perimenopausal — expert-recommended tips I’m using to combat insomnia and nighttime anxiety

By Nicola Appleton Published

From hot flashes to nighttime anxiety, sleep disturbances are common during perimenopause. Here are four expert-approved strategies to overcoming them...

Sleep
The composite image shows a dark haired woman wearing white pyjamas sleeping in bed on the left, and a blonde haired woman walking through a forest with her arms outstretched on the right
No more 3 a.m. wake ups — a doctor explains how this viral Japanese wellness practice is lowering my cortisol and helping me fall asleep in minutes

By Nicola Appleton Published

Experts explain how forest bathing, an ancient Japanese meditation technique, is helping me stay asleep all night

Sleep
The image shows a bedroom door open and an unmade bed bathed in natural light in the background
Doctor reveals why keeping your bedroom door ajar at night helps you sleep deeper and for longer

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

As well as sleeping in a bedroom with poor ventilation, burning candles and incense sticks also contribute to rising levels of CO2. A sleep doctor explains how that can impact your sleep.

Sleep
The image shows a dark haired woman wide awake in bed, while an inset image of a clock reads 3am
For months I've been waking up at 3 a.m. unable to fall back asleep — two doctors have finally explained why and how to stop it

By Nicola Appleton Published

Doctors explain why I’m wide awake at 3am, plus share tips on how to fall back to sleep.

Sleep
A cluttered bedroom with wood floors showing laundry baskets piled up with clothes and random toys and objects on the desk and floor
My bombsite of a bedroom was stopping me from sleeping — until a professional organizer helped me declutter it

By Nicola Appleton Published

An organisation expert helped me declutter my bombsite of a bedroom. Here's how, plus why tidying up will help me sleep better.

Sleep
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