BY: NADIA ZAIDI
I don’t know about you, but I would much rather relax than go to the gym.
Not sure how many people feel the same way.
Ha! Okay, most of us are unanimous on working out, especially when it comes to weight loss. But what if losing weight was as easy as taking a nap? A new “gym” in the UK is inviting people to sleep on their beds, claiming it will help them shed pounds.
No, really. It’s called napercise.
It’s like every slothful, couch potato’s fantasy has met with reality. Rather than a room full of damp treadmills and ellipticals, single beds with bright whites greet attendants.
David Lloyd gyms in the UK have introduced these “napercise” classes where people sleep for 45 minutes in the afternoon, while burning calories. So how does it work?
While attendants are in bed, the internal temperature is dropped to promote calorie burning. Classes are meant to improve mood, and “reinvigorate” the mind. This strategy was inspired by studies that point to numerous benefits of napping during the day: stress alleviation, mood enhancement, and enhanced alertness.
It was designed for tired parents, who can expect to hear Zen like music, rather than typical aerobic tunes at standard gyms. As for technology — forget it. No televisions here.
Parents are expected to be the gym’s number one clients. Research by David Lloyd illustrates that 86 per cent of parents suffer from fatigue. More than a quarter gets less than five hours of sleep at night. Some of the biggest reasons that parents don’t receive adequate amounts of sleep are:
- Stress and anxiety (43 per cent of the cases).
- Kept up by children (26 per cent)
- Long working hours (17 per cent)
There are various reasons that lead to poor sleep. One such obvious, yet misunderstood reason is snoring. Most of us find this funny, and perhaps underestimate its affects on sleeplessness.
Around 40 per cent of men over 30 snore. Gee. We really have something to look forward to, don’t we? It gets better. Almost two-thirds of men over 65 snore. But, before I get all sanctimonious, a fifth of women snore, too. In fact, the numbers might be higher if it wasn’t for the stigma attached to snoring, especially in women.
Another reason for poor sleep is caffeine. Sounds obvious, but most people underestimate how long it stays in our bodies. It takes up to eight hours to leave our system, which is why scientists believe that people (particularly those over fifty), should steer away from caffeine after midday.
Add technology in this equation and you have a recipe for insomnia. Excessive starring at bright screens before bed account for restless and poor sleep patterns.
Depending on the program’s success, it will hit more clubs in the future.
