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 Saatva Classic photographed on a white wooden bedframe in a blue bedroom surrounded by tall green house plants and a bookcase shelving unit containing pillows, blankets and books
The best mattress for back pain 2026: Reviewed and approved by sleep experts

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

Say goodbye to unpleasant evenings and tired mornings with the best mattresses for back pain, according to our hands-on testing and lab data.

Mattresses
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 hand holding a pair of white Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 in their blue circular case, set against a backdrop of green foliage
The Ozlo Sleebuds 2 launch today and I’ve been testing them for a week — here’s how they're already helping decode my 3 a.m. wake-ups so I can sleep through the night

By Nicola Appleton Published

Recommended

'Understanding how your environment impacts your sleep is really where we're going' — Ozlo co-founder on the launch of new Sleepbuds 2

Sleep Tech
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
Our mattress tester Lauren Jeffries lies on the Birt Elite Natural Mattress in a side sleeping position. The mattress is on a wooden bed frame in a decorated room. She uses a high loft pillow to cushion her head, neck and shoulders
Review: The Birch Elite Natural latex mattress kept me cool during a sweltering heatwave, but there are some big drawbacks I can't overlook

By Nicola Appleton Published

Hotel-style organic luxury? Check. Excellent cooling abilities? Check. Contouring support? Hmm....

Mattresses
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
A split image showing an iPhone 17, Fitbit Air and Apple AirPods Max 2
The best tech of 2026 (so far): 26 products we've actually tested, rated and loved

By Peter Wolinski Published

Here are our favorite products from 2026 after 6 months of non-stop testing.

Tech
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
The image shows a screen shot of a video of two mattress testers in the process of unboxing a DreamCloud mattress in a neutrally decorated bedroom
The DreamCloud is up to $1,700 off — here's why it beats all other 4th of July sleep deals for sheer value

By Nicola Appleton Published

Plus, watch our DreamCloud unboxing video to know what to expect when you take home and set up this top-rated affordable hybrid mattress in a box

Mattresses
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
Cooling sleep Prime Day collection from Rest, Shark, Dyson, Silentnight and YLKF
6 last-chance Prime Day cooling sleep deals I'm snapping up ahead of the next heatwave

By Nicola Appleton Published

With a 'hotter than average' July on the horizon, here's everything I'm buying in the last day of Amazon's Prime Day sale for cooler sleep before these deals end.

Sleep
The Nectar Classic, the Bear Elite Hybrid, the DreamCloud Classic and Saatva Classic in a side-by-side composite with a Tom's Guide Savings Squad Prime Day badge overlaid on top
I test mattresses for a living: These are the only 9 Prime Day deals worth buying today — starting from $162 for a queen

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

I've searched Amazon and beyond for the best mattress deals this Prime Day, and these are the only sales that are worth shopping right now

Mattresses
Prime Day sleep deals for kids, from YOTO, Coop, Hatch and Morento
I’m a sleep editor — here are the 5 Prime Day deals I’d buy to help my kids rest well at night

By Nicola Appleton Published

As a sleep editor and parent, I know how hard it is to get kids to sleep. These are the 5 top Prime Day deals I recommend to help your kids fall asleep fast tonight.

Sleep
The image shows a dark haired woman lying in bed with a silver ring on her finger. Inset, a close-up image of her finger shows the silver ring in more detail.
Oura Ring’s ‘lab grade’ sleep tracker hits lowest ever price at Amazon — get 43% off our highest-scoring wearable for supercharged sleep

By Nicola Appleton Published

This is the Prime Day sleep tech deal we've been waiting for — the silver Oura Ring 4 drops to $226 in huge new Amazon sale.

Sleep Tech
The image shows two mattress testers unboxing the new DreamCloud Classic Hybrid mattress. Inset to the right is a blue Tom's Guide Savings Squad Prime Day badge
DreamCloud drops huge Prime Day-beating 75% off mattress deal — get our fave couples' bed from just $339

By Nicola Appleton Published

The DreamCloud Classic is one of the highest scoring mattresses we've tested, offering premium comfort and support at a price over $1,000 lower than luxury rivals in the Prime Day sales

Mattresses
The image shows a woman's wrist with a pale pink Fitbit Inspire 3on it. Inset, a Tom's Guide Savings Squad Prime Day deal badge is shown in blue
Amazon slashes prices on the Fitbit Inspire 3 — save 30% on Fitbit’s best value sleep tracker this Prime Day

By Nicola Appleton Published

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is the wearable I swear by for reliable sleep tracking, and it's dropped to $69.95 in today's Amazon Prime Day sale.

Sleep Tech
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 dark haired woman wearing pink pyjamas sitting up in bed smiling with her arms stretched out. Inset to the right, an alarm clock shows the time is 6 am.
Early mornings left me feeling tired all the time but now I spring out of bed at 6 a.m. — here's how I did it

By Nicola Appleton Last updated

A simple change to my sleep routine helps me wake with energy before my alarm

Sleep
The image shows a light-haired mattress tester lying on the white and dark blue Helix Midnight Luxe mattress. Overlaid on top is a blue 'Tom's Guide price drop' label.
Last chance to save $800 on the Helix Midnight Luxe, the luxury hybrid mattress I tell all my friends to buy

By Nicola Appleton Published

Use the code TOMS27 at checkout and save up to $800 when you buy the Helix Midnight Luxe in the extended Memorial Day sales.

Mattresses
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