You must’ve heard the famous Twenty One Pilots lyrics, saying, “Wake up, you need to make money.” Well, the time has finally come when you no longer need to do the first part.
As our society becomes increasingly more aware of the impact that sleep has on productivity, health, and overall quality of life, opportunities arise to make money for doing just that – sleeping or napping.
From sleep studies to nap reviewers, you will discover how you can get paid to nap, how to find these gigs, and what are some of the most common challenges.
Top Ways to Get Paid for Napping
1. Participate in Sleep Studies
One of the most popular ways to get paid to nap is through sleep studies. Various universities, hospitals, and research organizations across the globe conduct clinical trials regarding sleep to understand sleeping disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, sleepwalking, and more.
Sleep studies will require you to sleep or take naps in a controlled environment. The researchers will connect you to their machinery and monitor your brain waves, consciousness levels, and other things while you sleep, trying to find connections and make sense of what’s happening while you’re offline. It’s quite literally a dream job.
Compensation varies widely, but you can expect to get paid from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. The amount ultimately lies in the complexity and duration of sleep studies.
2. Become a Product Tester for Sleep Products
There are many companies out there that provide sleep products to people to test them out. It could be any sleep product, from pillows to mattresses to sleep masks. To become a tester, find several brands selling sleep products and look for ways to sign up for testing.
Depending on the company, you may get paid in cash, free products, or discounts. While it probably won’t be enough to cover monthly expenses and ditch your day job, it’s a nice side hustle to boost your income.
3. Work as a Sleep Coach
If you don’t want to nap for money, you can switch to the other side of the coin – help other people sleep better by becoming a sleep coach. Be mindful, however, that it’s not as simple as telling your kids to go to bed.
Sleep coaching involves understanding things like personalized sleep routines, sleep hygiene, before-bed behavior, and more. To become a certified and credible sleep coach, you will need to undergo certain courses and training.
As far as money is concerned, you could expect to get paid somewhere in the range $60,000 – $160,000 a year, based on experience and qualification.
4. Get Paid for House or Pet Sitting
House or pet sitting could also be considered a hustle that pays for sleeping or napping. Especially if you’re looking over the house or pet for an extended period of time.
If you’d like to try it, you can sign up for platforms like Sittercity, Rover, and TrustedHousesitters. These platforms will connect you with clients that need sitters and you will be able to turn your dreams into money. Take the dog for a walk, then rest and take a well-deserved afternoon nap.
Rates vary based on location, duration, and responsibilities. However, for a rough estimate, you could get paid something in the lines of $15 to $40 an hour.
5. Become a Sleep Product Ambassador
Becoming a sleep product ambassador will require a decent follower base. So, in other words, it’s only viable for influencers.
In terms of the process, you will need to work with hotels, mattress brands, SPA resorts, and similar businesses. They will ask you to stay in their locations or try their products and advertise them on your social media.
As for your compensation, you will either get paid in cash, free stays in the client’s location, or large discounts.
6. Participate in Promotional Sleep Events
Promotional sleep events are a rather quirky way to get paid for napping. Essentially, it means napping in public spaces, such as a store window or a branded bed.
While it may not seem like a comfortable choice, these napping gigs pay well. Additionally, it’s done by well-known brands such as Casper and Ikea.
How to Prepare for Paid Napping Jobs
Unfortunately, paid napping jobs are not for everyone. It’s not about laying in bed with your eyes closed. You have to be able to fall asleep or take a nap and do it relatively quickly.
Many businesses or research organizations favor people who maintain healthy sleep hygiene, can relax quickly, and stay calm. In case you’re wondering what sleep hygiene is, it involves sticking to a consistent bedtime, limiting exposure to devices sometime before going to bed, and limiting or completely giving up caffeine.
So, if you want to get paid to nap, preparation for napping jobs include:
- Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule.
- Finding activities that relax you.
- Limiting or giving up caffeine and alcohol.
- Practicing turning off all devices a couple hours before bed.
Certifications and Requirements
Some paid napping jobs, like sleep studies, could ask you to present a medical clearance to ensure that your health won’t be affected during clinical trials. Others, like house sitting, may require a background check to make sure that you have no criminal record and can be trusted with someone’s place of residence.
How to Find Paid Napping Jobs
The best place to get paid for napping is via dedicated platforms. Here are some of them:
- Care: Find opportunities to take care of a child, pet, house, or elderly people.
- Eachnight: Get paid to nap by joining nap reviewers and test mattresses.
- Sittercity: Discover families that need child, pet, or elderly care.
- Project-sleep: Find open positions for sleep studies.
- TrustedHousesitters: Discover house-sitting opportunities in your area.
In case these platforms don’t work for you, there are a lot more opportunities out there for child-sitting, pet-sitting, sleep studies, product-testing, and more.
Tips for Standing Out in Applications
Make sure you work on your profile and put a decent effort into it. Include positive reviews and testimonials, if possible. Focus on highlighting your traits that speak emotionally to your potential client, such as dependability, communication skills, friendliness, and more.
If you create a profile that catches everyone’s attention and looks both professional and trustworthy, you will be able to get paid more than you first expected.
Challenges of Getting Paid to Nap
Recognizing and Avoiding Scams
Likely, the most irritating challenge is scammers. As with everything else, scammers will try to lure money out of you for a promise of even higher returns. Make sure you avoid any sketchy websites or job descriptions, and be cautious of too-good-to-be-true offers. And don’t pay any upfront payments above anything else.
Managing Inconsistent Income
Paid napping gigs are not exactly a consistent job. Therefore, be prepared for income fluctuations. A wise choice would be to find another side hustle to complement your monthly income and stabilize your living situation.
You may want to consider setting up an appropriate budget for slower months to make sure you can sustain yourself with a lower income.
Final Snooze
As you know now, it’s entirely possible to get paid to nap. The opportunities range from participating in sleep studies, napping in public places for promotional campaigns, joining the nap reviewers, and more.
Take this chance to find your dream job today and get paid to nap while getting the rest you know you deserve.
