When we tested out the Sleep Story Ergosense Mattress by Highgrove it was available for £529 in a double size or £599 in king size. A single model was £479 and a superking was £699. 

Overall, this puts it in the mid to lower range of mattress prices nowadays, so we were keen to see how it performs. Highgrove is not as famous a name as some mattress brands, but it is one that we have been impressed with in the past. We’ve also personally owned one of their mattresses and found that it lasted very well. 

Firmness test on the Sleep Story Ergosense Mattress by Highgrove 

Let’s start off with what we call the ‘spine test’, which is where we put a hand underneath our back whilst lying on the mattress. A mattress that is too firm for you it’s very easy to fit your hand underneath. If it’s a real struggle to get your hand underneath then the mattress may be a little too soft. 

We find this test is useful, as it’s sometimes hard to see the wood for the trees after spending many hours at a mattress shop. 

In the case of this Sleep Story Ergosense Mattress by Highgrove it was relatively difficult to get my hand underneath my spine, but not so much that I didn’t feel supported. Overall, I would say it was just a whisker too soft for me if I was lying on my back or my front. However, lying on my side it was comfortable. 

In other words, if you are about the same weight and build as me and sleep on your side then this mattress may well be just right for you. I weigh 13 stone and I’m six foot tall. Of course, there is an element of subjectivity and personal taste to this, so I would always recommend trying it for yourself. 

We like to give a rating for firmness for each mattress. We use the most common rating, which is to say that 1/10 is soft and 10/10 is firm. In this case, I would give the Sleep Story Ergosense Mattress by Highgrove a score of 5/10 or 6/10 for firmness. 

Strength to the edges of the Sleep Story Ergosense Mattress by Highgrove 

Next, we carried out a very simple test, which is to lie sideways on the mattress and see how strong it is at the edges. If it performs like a custard slice that you have just bitten into, then it’s not a good sign. 

If that happens, then there’s a high risk that you’ll end up sleeping in a dip or be very uncomfortable if you end up pushed towards the edge. Overall, I felt that the edge firmness on this mattress was pretty good. I have certainly found some premium mattresses that perform slightly better but considering the reasonable price tag, I would say this mattress performed reasonably well. 

When I sat on the bed, as if I was tying my shoelaces, it was a similar story. There was not major compression, but I have certainly tried some mattresses that scored slightly better.

Motion transfer on the Sleep Story Ergosense Mattress by Highgrove  

We had similar results when we tested out what is often called ‘motion transfer’. This is an attempt to figure out how much you feel someone else moving on the mattress. 

You can test this out in a variety of ways but the easiest is to get two people to lie on the bed and allow one person to get up and down. 

Again, I felt that it was a good performer. 

Mattresses using springs, such as this one, are a little more prone to some motion transfer then a very firm foam mattress. However, I was impressed overall. Again, I would say that I’ve found some premium sprung mattresses to be slightly better on motion transfer, but not by a significant degree. 

Handles on the Sleep Story Ergosense Mattress by Highgrove 

Let’s move on to the thrilling topic of the handles on the side of the mattress. I found these to be well constructed and they didn’t feel as if they would fall to pieces. It may seem like a small point but we have one mattress in the past where the fabric tore around the handles. It’s also a good indication of how thoroughly the mattress has been stitched. 

Design and specification of the Sleep Story Ergosense Mattress by Highgrove 

This mattress has 1000 pocket springs, which is relatively low compared to a lot of premium mattresses. Personally, I find that 1000 springs is usually adequate for me but if you are very heavy then you may prefer a slightly higher number such as 1200 or 1500. 

Final thoughts on the Sleep Story Ergosense Mattress by Highgrove 

For the price, I think this is a decent mattress. Whilst the spring count is not huge, it is adequate in my opinion. If the firmness level is right for you then I think you could do a lot worse as it performed quite well in our tests. It doesn’t have a complicated design with lots of belts and whistles but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.