Want a chill and easy way to earn extra cash? Check out these sleep studies that pay! Sleeping is a unique way to earn extra cash without hassle.
Sleeping on the job is a huge no-no—well, that’s unless you’re getting paid to sleep. In this case, you can lie down, relax, doze off to slumberland, and make extra money while you sleep.
It sounds like a dream, right? It’s probably one of the low-stress side hustles you can find today!
Well, I’ve learned a few interesting ways to get paid to sleep, and the most common way is by joining sleep studies. You don’t need specific skills or educational background to qualify for these tests and studies. However, in clinical tests, you may need to be of a certain age, gender, or weight or have specific sleep-related conditions.
What happens during a sleep study?
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So, you’ve signed up for a sleep study and now wonder what to expect the entire time.
A sleep study consists of a couple of phases or steps.
First, you must undergo screening to ensure you are fit for the study. Different studies have different requirements, so you may or may not qualify based on several factors such as gender, weight, lifestyle, health conditions, etc.
Once given the go-signal, the next step is to undergo tests and assessments. The researcher will take your medical history and perform physical and psychological exams.
You might also undergo an overnight sleep study (or polysomnography), which allows researchers to determine your sleep patterns.
Afterward, the researchers administer the treatment or intervention, which may be a form of medicine, lifestyle change, therapy, or device.
8 Awesome Ways to Get Paid to Sleep
1. Paid Sleep Studies To Join
If you would like to become a participant in a paid sleep study, you can look for paid sleep studies near you or refer to these legit sleep studies conducted by health institutions:
Stanford Medicine – the Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences at Stanford is currently recruiting participants for paid sleep studies.
Harvard Medical School—Harvard’s Division of Sleep Medicine listed its sleep studies on Rally. Examples of sleep studies being conducted are obstructed sleep apnea, the effects of the menstrual cycle on sleep, and sleep-wake disorders. Check out Rally for the full list of paid sleep studies.
Project Sleep – is a nonprofit organization that aims to raise awareness of sleep and sleep disorders. It publishes paid sleep studies from various institutions, allowing participants to easily find studies that fit them.
Henry Ford Health – the CDC and NIH support this institution in conducting sleep research studies. Here, you can find various sleep studies, criteria for qualified applicants, methodology, and duration of the studies. Qualified applicants will receive compensation.
Jobs that pay you to sleep
Besides being a sleep study participant, there are other jobs that pay you to sleep. These include:
2. Mattress or Bed Tester
If you’re not getting enough sleep, consider becoming a professional bed tester and get paid to nap. I know that isn’t as exciting as other jobs, but it’s such a chill job that’s really worth getting into. Did you know that bed testers can make around $58,000 annually? Not bad, right?
As a professional bed or mattress tester, you are expected to provide a subjective evaluation of how the product feels and affects sleep quality. You have to lie down and doze off to provide an honest review of the product. You may test other products besides mattresses, like bedding, pillows, blankets, etc.
I love that bed-testing jobs don’t require a college degree, making applying easier for many people. It’s worth getting a certification or gaining more experience as a tester, but working as a mattress or bed tester should be one of the best jobs that pay you to sleep.
Test sleep-related devices and wearables
You can also become a product tester for sleep-related devices and wearables, as well as mattresses, beds, and pillows.
Sleep Junkie is a company that performs sleep-related reviews and studies. In one of its studies, Sleep Junkie is seeking “fussy sleepers” who are willing to test sleeping aids and devices to help them curate a sleeping guide for consumers. This job is open to US residents at least 21 years old with a smartphone device compatible with sleep-tracking apps.
This job can be done at home and pays $2000 for two months. You’re expected to provide a review for each sleep-related item, device, or app you use for a week, so it’s essential that you also have excellent communication skills (apart from being a confessed insomniac).
Note: This study is closed, but you can find more sleep studies on Sleep Junkie’s website.
3. Overnight Caregiver
Another excellent way to “sleep on the job” is to take on the role of an overnight caregiver. Caregivers typically care for elderly individuals and those with disabilities and medical conditions. You’ll often have to work inside the patient’s house, allowing you to sleep while your patient sleeps.
Overnight caregivers perform several tasks, such as assisting the patient in getting out of bed, dressing, and feeding, as well as essential things like taking medication at prescribed hours and being alert when emergencies arise.
It helps if you’ve taken a caregiving course or have a medical background. You can look for job opportunities within your area using sites like Care.com, local home care agencies, and senior living facilities.
4. Babysitter
If you’re looking for an easy side hustle where you can squeeze in naps while being paid, babysitting is one way to do it.
As a babysitter, you are expected to perform child-related tasks such as feeding, bathing, and tucking them in. You may also provide extra services for a few more bucks, such as light housekeeping and helping kids with homework.
You can rest while waiting for the kids’ parents to come home or if you’re babysitting overnight.
Some of the best sites to find babysitting jobs include Care.com, Bambino Sitters, and UrbanSitter.
5. House sitter
When it comes to the easiest, low-stress side hustles, I recommend house sitting. It’s also one of the jobs that pays you to sleep.
Homeowners typically hire house sitters to take care of their homes while they are away. They hire house sitters usually for security reasons. For example, robbers are less likely to attempt to break in if they think someone’s in the house.
Depending on your arrangement with your client, a few other tasks may be involved. For instance, you may also sit their pets and ensure they get to eat, walk, and are happy while their owners are away. You may also need to fetch the mail, do light cleaning, and do maintenance work. The goal is to ensure the house is in order when the owners return.
If this job is for you, check our housesitters.com, MindMyHouse, and TrustedHouseSitters for opportunities.
6. Hotel mystery shopper
Becoming a hotel mystery shopper is one of the most fun ways to get paid to sleep. With this opportunity, you can hop from one hotel to the next and get paid to enjoy their services and amenities.
But how does this exactly work?
Hotel mystery shoppers are hired directly by hotels and market research companies. They’ll go through the entire experience of booking a hotel, checking in, and staying there like any guest.
But here’s the catch: while you’re staying at a hotel, you’ll have a keen eye for many things, such as the cleanliness of the hotel, friendliness of the staff, and customer service, among other things. You’ll report these observations to the market research company or hotel headquarters and then get paid. They use your feedback to improve their products and services and offer a better experience to guests.
If this sounds like a dream job for you, you can check out these hotel mystery shopper jobs for openings:
Coyle Hospitality: As a hospitality evaluator, you’ll observe and assess hotels, resorts, and spas operating in over 70 cities in the US.
BestMark – is a mystery shopping website where you can sign up as a secret shopper. BestMark also provides luxury hotel mystery shopper jobs and opportunities in various industries.
Reality Based Group – this is also a reputable company that provides secret shopping services for various industries, including the hospitality industry. You can apply as a secret shopper on their website.
ShoppersConfidential – this company hires secret shoppers from the US and Canada to perform mystery shopping tasks. As for hotel mystery shopping, ShoppersConfidential expects that you can objectively evaluate the hotel, its products, and services and submit a report detailing your impressions and observations. Click here to learn more.
7. Blogger
If you enjoy traveling and getting new experiences in different places, you can make money through blogging. I swear by blogging as an awesome income stream, and it can work for you, too, if you put in the time, effort, and dedication.
As a travel blogger, you’ll have the opportunity to explore places, which sometimes comes with perks like staying at a hotel for free. For instance, a hotel chain may contact you for a collaboration where you can experience their hotel (and explore nearby areas) and write about it on your blog. Besides such partnerships and collaborations, your blog can produce income streams such as ads and affiliate links.
Another way to earn money from your blog is to write about sleep. You can write about sleep products, treatments, and conditions. A company may sponsor you to write about their products or treatments, and you’ll have to use them yourself to write an honest and holistic blog—which means you actually get paid to sleep!
Interested in blogging? Check out my comprehensive blogging guide to help you start a blog and make money from it. I am earning six figures from this small blog here. If I can do it, so can you!
8. Sleep consultant/coach
If you’re passionate about sleep and helping others find their healthy sleep routines and habits, consider becoming a professional sleep coach or consultant. The main goal of this job is to help individuals improve their sleep quality by assessing their sleep patterns, lifestyle, sleep environment, and possible underlying conditions that cause sleep disorders.
You will work with people with sleep disorders and help them achieve their goals, whether to extend their sleeping period, follow a consistent sleeping schedule, or improve sleep quality. Since sleep is essential to our lives, people with sleep problems turn to sleep coaches to improve their sleeping habits and overall quality of life.
Is this the perfect career for you? It does not require a specific college degree, but a background in sleep science or psychology will help. You can obtain training and/or certification to establish your credentials as a sleep consultant and attend and complete sleep coaching training programs.
Oh, did you know that sleep consultants make good money? An email consultation earns you $300-$400, while home visits fetch between $2,000 and $3,000.
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Key Takeaways
Whether you suffer from sleep disorders or just love to sleep, there are plenty of ways to get paid to sleep. Many paid sleep studies look for participants who have been diagnosed with sleep disorders, allowing researchers to develop medications, treatments, and lifestyle changes that can help improve sleep quality.
Meanwhile, there are fun ways to get paid to sleep, such as working as a hotel mystery shopper, testing sleep products, blogging, or creating content about sleep.
One way or the other, one of these sleep-related side hustles might be a fit for you!
Looking for more ways to make money?
If you are looking for better ways to make money from home, I highly recommend checking out the following posts!