The average sleep an adult requires or might expect to sleep is around eight hours a night. However there is no ‘normal’ length of time, it is whatever is natural for you. We all feel tired at times but it is important that it is not disruptive to your daily life and general health. Looking at your bedroom environment and video and then assessing if there is anything you can do to improve your quality of your environment might help you to improve on the time you are asleep.

To ensure you experience good sleep it’s essential to follow good lifestyle habits and to eliminate the factors that are causing you disturbed sleep. For example making sure that your bedroom is the right environment (cool, dark and quiet), that your bed is up to scratch, looking at the lighting in your home, and avoiding foods and drinks that can hinder sleep. Avoid screen time at least an hour before bed and find alternative ways of relaxing like warm baths with calming scents, quiet soothing music, reading, gentle stretching and yoga. It’s also important to establish regular sleep pattern – going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time. Your bodies and minds will feel much better for it.

The Highgrove brochure range featured on this website is exclusively available to purchase from leading High Street – mainly Independent, Retailers and is not available on-line. Highgrove produce exclusive collections for leading multiple Groups these can also be found on-line via the Retailers own websites. Other than Contract Sales, Highgrove products are not available direct to the General Public.

With so many to choose from, it really boils down to personal preference, however the price you pay is usually a good indication of quality. Bearing in mind that most people spend a third of their lives in bed, it’s a very important decision and a good night’s sleep will enhance your daily performance. We would always recommend that you visit your local Highgrove store and try before you buy – the bed sales staff are well trained will be happy to give you all the information you need.

Although your bed base may look OK, we would always recommend that you take the opportunity to change the base at the same time. Often, your well used base will have developed similar wear characteristics to your old mattress and could cause premature wear to your new one. Apart from not maximising the value of your purchase, this could invalidate your warranty.

Often parents will spend a fortune on a new crib for their baby, but go for a cheap mattress when they’re older. It’s important to remember that a good bed will support a child’s developing spine as they get older, and a good night’s sleep will ensure that they wake feeling refreshed and be at their best during those important formative years.

Highgrove beds are available in a wide range of sizes and these can be found on our size and specification pages. All Pocket specification mattresses are also available in special sizes and our stockists will be happy to quote you for this. Bed bases are also available in varying heights and with leg, glide, or castor options to suit your needs.

Most good bed retailers and Department stores will have a range of washable mattress protectors, some of which are hypo-allergenic and others waterproof and we recommend that you purchase at least one of these for your new bed.

We all like different positions so sleep in whichever you find most comfortable – this will depend on all sorts of things. If you sleep ok – don’t try to change!

Almost all beds will, in time, attract house dust mites, whose droppings are highly allergenic. Regular cleaning, airing and the use of protective covers will reduce the effect. Some manufacturers are now using anti-dust mite treated fabrics for tickings. Always check details of construction and materials if you suffer from any other allergies. Manufacturers will be able to supply you with details.

It’s a matter of personal preference. With tufted mattresses, better quality tufts are well protected by wool or felt pompoms but some more sensitive people may be more aware of them than others. A good mattress protector can help. Otherwise, choose a quilted style instead.

Spring fillings are still very popular in Britain and make for excellent mattresses. Changing the spring construction, thickness of the wire, the number of coils, height of each spring and the quantity alters the tension, feel and weigh distribution properties of each mattress. There are three types of spring interiors – open coil, continuous spring and pocket spring.

Unlike other more traditional spring systems the design behind the pocket spring allows each spring to work independently allowing the mattress to contour to your body. This is achieved by placing each individual spring in a fabric pocket and fixing them by stitching or gluing them together.

In contrast most other spring systems are constructed with the springs being directly connected together via methods such as coiled wire, clips or in some cases rows of springs are actually created from one piece of wire.

This is obviously advantageous as the mattress can conform to your body rather than your body conforming to the mattress and if sharing, any movement from a partner will not transfer through the mattress in the same way as other methods.

Spring Count

One of the main things to look for in a pocket sprung mattress is the number of springs the mattress is made up of. A common misconception is that the more springs the harder the mattress is, this however is not always the case as other factors such as fillings, the base the mattress is on and the gauge and turns in a spring are the main factors to this.

Although there seems to be a spring count “war” happening at the moment a rough guide is to aim for a 1000 or more. Generally 2000 is roughly the maximum number of standard size pocket springs you can fit into a mattress without springs being layered, however as technology progresses this could easily change.

Feel

When trying beds the first thing people tend to do is either press their hand into the bed or sit on the edge. This kind of testing can give a false impression of the feel and tension in a pocket sprung mattress as the pressure placed on the bed is focused therefore makes the mattress feel soft. As with all mattresses the best way to test them is by lying on them for a minimum of 2 minutes with your partner. This way your weight is spread across the mattress and your body has time to settle into position.

A mini pocket spring is usually used in a mattress in combination with another common component, this could be another spring system such as an open coil spring system, an Open coil system or even a full size pocket spring system.

Although in many mattresses there is a great advantage to having a layer of mini pocket springs in your mattress it isn’t always the case. An example of this becoming an advantage is when a mini pocket layer is used on top of a spring system such as an Open Coil. Here the mini pocket layer adds the advantage of a pocket springs contouring ability whilst allowing the unit underneath to provide a more stable, solid feel, this however may not be to every ones taste so once again testing in a your local bed showroom is the key.

Choosing a Pocket sprung mattress

As with all mattresses choosing a mattress isn’t always straight forward, some people like soft mattresses some prefer hard, people are different shapes and sizes, and medical conditions may limit the kind of mattresses which are suitable to you.

With regards to tension you need to find a happy medium. This happy medium however is different for everyone. If the mattress is to soft for you your body may settle in a V shape with the heavier part of your body (Your bottom and hip area) sinking into the soft springs more than your shoulders and legs. To hard and your body sits on top of the mattress with gravity forcing the natural arches of your body to be under tension or come down to the bed.

The key is to try and choose the one which feels best for you, a few things you should look out for are:

Build Quality – make sure the build quality of the mattress is adequate, check the spring count and the reputation of the manufacturer, As many mattresses in showrooms are being tried daily check for early signs of sagging and wear and tear.

Fillings – Check the fillings in the mattress are suitable, are they natural? Are you allergic to natural fillings? Is it a filling which could make you hot at night?

Guarantee / Warranty – Check the warranty/Guarantee being offered by the retailer or manufacturer.

From personal experience one thing I would advise is not to get to caught up in the number of springs, as mentioned earlier a trend is apparent between manufacturers to cram as many pocket springs in as they can by layering them on top of each other or placing them inside each other. Although both of these methods can be advantageous there is a use of these methods just to get a higher spring count printed on the label.