A gym is offering 45 minute ‘napercise’ power nap classes

The thing I don’t like about going to the gym is the whole “exercise” thing. I hate how it really knackers you out, I hate how sweaty you get, and I really hate not being able to find any weights heavy enough for my gargantuan ceps. What would be better was if I could nip in and have a nap – a nip-nap of sorts.

Thankfully, one of my exercise-hating brethren has had an idea that is music to my prone, unsweaty body. A branch of David Lloyd Clubs is trialing so-called ‘napercise’ classes, which involve getting into a comfy bed and having a likkle sleepy weepy boo boo, instead of doing anything active, thank God.

It’s all designed to improve well-being, regenerate the mind and supposedly, burn a couple of calories too. 

The classes occur in the middle of the day, so tired parents or workers can pop in, nuzzle down and get a good 45 minutes of shut-eye to a soothing soundtrack of atmospheric sounds. The temperature is also dropped down to a level that promotes calorie burning, too.

The idea behind the class arrived as a response to the ‘tiredness epidemic’ that is currently infecting our shores, with 86% of parents complaining of fatigue and 26% admitting to getting less than five hours sleep a night.

Dreams and sleep expert Kathryn Pinkham says:

“Sleep is a lot more important than people realise.

"We tend to focus on the short-term effects such as being tired or lacking concentration, but it is also essential for our long-term physical and mental wellbeing too.

"In addition to a lack of sleep bringing with it a higher risk of developing anxiety or depression, when we are sleep deprived we lack the energy to exercise regularly, and also the mental clarity to make good decisions about the food we eat, which could negatively impact our physical health in the long-run."

It’s being trialled this weekend in Sidcup, and if it proves a hit, it’ll roll out nationwide and you’ll be able to sleep off that hangover in a comfy setting, rather than hiding in the broom cupboard crying into a scotch egg.

Of course, I won’t be going, because I’m not paying to lie down for 45 minutes, eyes wide-open, staring at the ceiling, revisiting all of my life’s many regretful digressions. I can do that for free at home. For eight hours. Every night. Forever and ever. Amen.