‘40 winks workout’: Bizarre 'napercise' gym class involves sleeping for 45 minutes

Tired of your old fitness class? A UK gym chain is launching a new class which could make your dreams come true as it consists of nothing but sleeping for 45 minutes.

In the wake of what they call a “tiredness epidemic” David Lloyd Clubs are trialing a class which gets participants to climb into bed and snooze.

The gym chain says the ‘40 winks workout’ has been scientifically designed to “reinvigorate the mind, improve moods and even burn the odd calorie.”

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“Upon arrival in the studio guests will find the spin-bikes swapped for single beds, and upbeat workout tunes ditched in favor of atmospheric sounds, to create the perfect environment for the soporific sessions to take place,” David Lloyd Clubs explained.

They claim that participants will even burn some calories as the studio temperature will also be dropped to a level that promotes calorie burning during sleep.

The gym company carried out a poll of 1000 parents which found that 86 per cent of them suffer from fatigue, with 26 percent regularly getting less than five hours sleep per night.

The study found that almost one in five tired parents admit to sleeping at work and five percent have forgotten to pick up their child from school due to tiredness.

They also cite a 2009 scientific paper titled ‘Benefits of napping in healthy adults’ as evidence of the potential health benefits of the new class. The upsides include boosting alertness, alleviating feelings of anxiety or stress, and improving mood.

The class, which is free for members, has been developed with input from sleep expert Kathryn Pinkham, who 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’s 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.”

The first “Napercise” is taking place at in London this weekend and, if successful, it will roll out to other clubs around the UK.