Gym swaps spin bikes for beds in trial

A GYM is a place you go to work out, right? Not any more. Now there’s a gym you can go to have a nap.

While most of us going to the gym as an opportunity for a bit of strenuous exercise, David Lloyd Clubs now wants to open its doors to people who need nothing more than a good sleep.

With research revealing a tiredness epidemic, with 86% of parents admitting to suffering from fatigue and a quarter saying they get less than five hours sleep a night, the leisure club owner is offering ‘Napercise’ classes to help people find the rest they need.

Being tested for the first time this weekend, the Napercise classes consist of 45-minute sleep sessions that are designed to help reinvigorate the mind, body, and even burn the odd calorie.

Punters arriving in the studio will find the spin bikes swapped for single beds and upbeat workout tunes ditched in favour of atmospheric sounds to create the perfect environment for the soporific sessions to take place. The studio temperature will also be dropped to a level that promotes calorie burning during sleep. Napercisers will be invited to curl up in one of the beds and indulge in some restorative mid-afternoon shuteye before continuing on with their day.

Napercise has been developed with the help of sleep expert Kathryn Pinkham, who said: “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.”

Research by the gym chain among parents found that 86% admit to suffering from fatigue, with over a quarter (26%) regularly getting less than five hours of sleep a night.

A spokesman for the gym said: “Here at David Lloyd Clubs we’re always looking for new ways to tackle the issues that everyday families face, which is what napercise sets out to do.”

The trial this weekend will take place in London but could be extended around the UK in future.