Napercise, the ’40 Winks Workout’

Napercise, the ’40 Winks Workout’

We see many wellness trends come and go, but you might be shocked to hear about the latest one – an activity known as ‘Napercise’. Proposed to be the answer for all of you sleep-deprived individuals out there, this 45-minute ‘workout’ involves napping at an optimum temperature that promotes weight loss during sleep.

What is Napercise?

The exercise consists of 45 minutes of...well, napping. Each session is tailored to reinvigorating the mind and body. The room is filled with single beds, and the usual up-beat music heard in the studio is replaced with soothing, atmospheric noises. The classes are mid-afternoon and allow tired bodies to indulge in a restorative nap. This trend is aimed at mums and dads who aren’t getting enough sleep on a daily basis, to stop them from dozing off at the desk and forgetting to pick the kids up from school (which apparently 5% of parents do)!

This can be particularly beneficial if struggling with how to sleep when stressed, for example. 

Where did this come from?

Health club David Lloyd Clubs conducted research that brought to light just how sleepy our nation is. The results indicated that 86% of parents suffer from fatigue, with a worrying 26% of parents getting less than 5 hours of sleep each night!

Sleep has a huge impact on our health; a lack of sleep is associated with a weakened immune system and is thought to have a negative impact on mental health. Sleep deprivation can also dangerously lead to drowsy driving, which can have devastating consequences. Too many of us don’t take sleep seriously enough, unaware of the long-term impacts that it can have on our well-being.

Benefits of napping

According to the National Sleep Foundation, a NASA sleep study found that a 40-minute nap improved performance by 34% in military pilots and astronauts, and alertness by a whopping 100%. If these figures don’t speak for themselves, the National Sleep Foundation explains that napping also has psychological benefits too. If naps are good enough for astronauts – they’re good enough for us.

However, healthy naps can quickly turn bad as according to experts, the optimal nap time can last no longer than 10-20 minutes. Any more, and it is believed that a nap can leave people with sleep inertia, which involves feeling groggy and even disorientated. This suggests that napping can actually have a detrimental effect on performance and alertness if it is prolonged. Additionally, a nap can have a negative impact on your quality and length of sleep at night – something that many of us struggle with enough as it is!

We think we need to try this napercise malarkey out for ourselves before concluding its benefits. What we do know, is that a lack of sleep can have adverse health effects, and is something that can be avoided.

How to get a good night's sleep

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