If you’re looking for extra money, why not get paid to sleep? If you love market research, helping science, or sleeping, you can try different sleeping jobs to reach your goals.
While it may not be for everyone, keep reading about the requirements and what to expect to see if it’s right for you.
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Can You Get Paid to Sleep?
Getting paid to sleep sounds too good to be true. You’re probably thinking there’s no way you could get paid to sleep, but you can.
Some jobs pay you to get a good night’s sleep, while others pay you for sleep-related tasks. For most jobs, you must love sleep. That’s the prerequisite. If you’re ready to think outside the box, you can start making money while sleeping.
What Types of Companies Pay You to Sleep?
The most common types of companies that pay you to sleep are mattress companies. Providing mattress reviews helps manufacturers understand their products and what consumers think of them.
But like we said, thinking outside the box can help you get paid to sleep by other companies. For example, you’ll find opportunities to get paid for sleeping at hotels, retail stores, ticket companies, and companies looking for overnight sitters or caregivers.
How to Qualify to Get Paid to Sleep
Fortunately, you don’t need any special skills to earn money sleeping. If you sleep, you can make money with sleeping jobs.
However, some jobs require some skills, especially those that require written feedback. You may need excellent writing skills and the ability to provide detailed feedback to make the study worth it for the company.
Each job or study has different qualifying requirements. Read the fine print to understand what’s required to see if you qualify.
10 Jobs That Pay You to Sleep
We’ve rounded up the top ten jobs that pay you to sleep to help you make the most of your time and make the most money.
1. Hotel Mystery Shopper
Hotel mystery shoppers act like regular patrons staying the night in a hotel. You book a room like usual but will likely get reimbursed by the hospitality company or other company that hired you for the hotel reviews.
During your hotel stay, you’ll do everything a typical customer would, including checking in, spending time in the lobby, visiting the hotel’s restaurants and workout facilities, and sleeping in the beds.
Your job as a mystery hotel shopper is to provide detailed feedback on all aspects of the hotel from the moment you walk through the doors to when you leave. This is one job requiring strong English writing skills because you’ll provide a written report on what you found.
Hotel reviewers don’t need any other special skills except the desire to visit different hotels and enjoy the amenities.
2. Line Sitter
Lines have become more common lately, with retailers and marketers creating hype about specific products and services but stocking them in limited quantities to get more demand.
The latest cell phone model, new sneaker releases, and concert tickets are just a few reasons people will pay someone to spend hours in line for them.
Because of the latest craze, many are willing to pay a professional line placeholder to sit in line for them because they don’t have the time or energy to do so. It sounds crazy, but you can make good money holding a place in line, and if it happens to be a line you get in overnight, you may even get paid to sleep.
3. Overnight Caregiver
If you love caring for people and are a light sleeper, you can get paid as an overnight caregiver. Typically, you’ll stay overnight at the person’s home and stay awake while caring for them. Because the person will likely sleep at some point, you can get paid to sleep but must be aware of when the person needs you.
Depending on the level of care an overnight caregiver provides, you may need certain skills, but typically, your job is to ensure the person’s comfort and safety. The most common situations are with people recently released from the hospital, ill, or elderly.
4. Overnight Pet or House Sitters
Many jobs pay you to sleep while watching a house or pets. As the name suggests, a house sitter watches over a person’s home while they are away. The homeowner may pay you to sleep at the house the entire time they are gone or periodically. Sometimes housesitters are asked to do things like light cleaning, watering plants, or getting the mail.
An overnight pet sitter stays with pets while their pet owners are on vacation or away for other reasons. Many pet owners pay an overnight pet sitter to stay with their pets the entire time they are out, and others ask that you only come at night and stay the night.
To find jobs as an overnight pet or house sitter, check out Rover for opportunities in your area.
Gain access to the nation's largest network of pet parents. Explore one of the 6 great ways to earn, including dog walking, pet boarding, doggy daycare, house sitting, drop-in visits, and pet grooming services and select the one that is right for you.
- You set your own schedule and rates
- Can combine multiple services
- Can set your ow pet/client preferences
- Support and live vet assistance 24/7
- Availability to manage your services via the Rover App
- All services cover by the Rover Guarentee
- Rover takes a commission
- Long approval process when signing up
5. Hotel Blogger
A hotel blogger writes about hotels on travel blogs. You can own the blog or freelance write for travel blog owners.
As a travel blogger, you can review hotels, but you can also get paid to review restaurants, tourist attractions, and other venues of interest on a travel blog.
Reviewing hotels, though, allows you to get paid to sleep. However, this position may not be as in-depth as a mystery shopper for hotel brands, and you have more freedom about what you review and how you portray your thoughts.
6. Get Paid to Sleep From NASA
Even if you aren’t an astrophysicist or other type of scientist, you may be able to ‘work for NASA,’ getting paid to sleep. NASA is mandated by the government to run many studies, including bed rest studies.
The best rest studies are for months at a time, so they only work for people who can take a break from their regular life for a while. It’s a tedious job, but it can pay well, and you’d be doing your part to help science. The opportunities vary by location and availability.
7. Test Sleep Products
A sleep product tester may test different products that impact sleep. For example, some products may be specifically for people with trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or even medical conditions like sleep apnea.
Other opportunities for testing sleep products include mattress reviews or reviewing eye masks, sound machines, and sleep aid devices.
Like hotel reviewers, you must write well, be able to share your opinion, and be willing to try new products to get paid to sleep.
Work for Sleep Junkie
If you’re looking for a company that pays you to test sleep-related products, Sleep Junkie provides many opportunities. For example, Sleep Junkie offers opportunities periodically to test sleeping aid devices. The opportunities are usually open to people with trouble getting to sleep.
The studies are usually extensive, sometimes as long as eight weeks, but they pay well, usually around $2,000.
8. Become a Sleep Executive
A sleep executive can mean almost any sleeping job, but most specifically, they refer to jobs that pay you to document your sleep quality. Sleep executives keep a sleep journal, including the number of hours they sleep, their sleeping environment, and whether they feel you get enough sleep.
Sleep executives may also get paid to be mattress testers or test other sleep products, but you’ll earn the most money documenting your sleep.
9. Participate in Sleep Research
If you dare to do an isolation sleep study, you can earn money getting paid to sleep, but it’s intense.
First, you must undergo a physical and mental health evaluation to determine you’re fit for the study. Some sleep studies occur in a hospital environment, and others you can do at home.
Isolation sleep studies are to study a person’s circadian rhythm. In most sleep studies, the doctors control ‘day and night,’ and you don’t have access to things like a clock, phone, or computer. Some research centers also do sleep deprivation research studies that can also be disturbing but may pay well.
10. Get Paid to Nap
Each Night is a popular mattress review and sleep research website. Occasionally they run studies that pay nap reviewers. The studies test the quality of napping, duration, and other factors that affect a person’s sleep and overall health.
Other Ways to Get Paid While Sleeping
The jobs above pay you to sleep, but there are also ways to get paid while sleeping, aka making money in your sleep. So now you can make your bank account grow even when you’re sleeping.
11. Rent Space in Your Home
If you have extra space in your home, consider renting it to tenants. For example, you can rent an entire room to a tenant to live in full-time. Likewise, consider renting the whole space to your tenant if you have a finished basement.
While you must do a little work to provide rental space, you virtually make money while sleeping because you’ll charge monthly rent for using the space.
12. Rent Storage Space
If you have space for storage, consider renting it to people who would rather pay you than a storage facility. Remember that you must provide your tenants with access to the space (on your terms), but you can make money while sleeping since there’s not much work involved in providing storage space.
13. Invest in the Stock Market
Investing in the stock market can help you make money while sleeping, but there’s also the risk you can lose money, so be careful.
Create an investment plan that allows you to diversify your assets so you still reap the rewards but aren’t putting all of your eggs in one basket. Long-term stock investing is best, as most investors earn a 10% ROI over ten years in the stock market.
14. Sell Sleep-Inspired Photos
If you love sleep and photography, consider selling sleep-inspired photos, such as gorgeous photos of hotels, people sleeping, sleep accessories, and anything else that makes you think of sleeping.
You make money while sleeping because you can sell stock photos on sites like iStock. You upload the photo one time but can sell it as many times as people will buy it.
15. Write and Monetize a Blog
If you love writing and sleep, consider starting a blog. Yes, it’s a lot of work initially, but once you get your audience and get on a consistent blog posting schedule, you can make money from your affiliate marketing.
People can visit your blog day or night, and spend money using your links while you sleep, so you make money while sleeping!
Get Paid to Sleep FAQs
Can You Make Good Money With Sleeping Jobs?
Sleeping jobs aren’t going to pay the bills. They won’t likely pay a full-time income but can be a great side hustle, helping you make extra money. It’s an excellent opportunity for a self-starter who wants to make more money.
Are Sleep Studies Safe?
Sleep studies can be safe, but always do your research. Only work with reputable companies that have great reviews and, you know, are legit. Avoid accepting sleep study opportunities on sites like Craigslist, and only go straight through the companies you trust.
How Do You Become a Professional Sleeper?
You don’t need any special skills to become a professional sleeper. However, for most opportunities, you need to be able to sleep in places such as hotels or hospitals, spend time in a client’s home as a caregiver, or provide valuable insight on sleep product reviews.
Getting Paid to Sleep: Bottom Line
If your dream job is getting paid to sleep, there are a lot of opportunities out there. Determine which one suits you best, whether it’s working as pet or house sitter, participating in sleep studies, testing sleep products, or even bed rest studies. With no degree required to become sleeping beauty, you could start earning cash in no time!
Samantha Hawrylack is a personal finance expert and full-time entrepreneur with a passion for writing and SEO. She holds a Bachelor’s in Finance and Master’s in Business Administration and previously worked for Vanguard, where she held Series 7 and 63 licenses. Her work has been featured in publications like Grow, MSN, CNBC, Ladders, Rocket Mortgage, Quicken Loans, Clever Girl Finance, Credit Donkey, Crediful, Investing Answers, Well Kept Wallet, AllCards, Mama and Money, and Concreit, among others. She writes in personal finance, real estate, credit, entrepreneurship, credit card, student loan, mortgage, personal loan, insurance, debt management, business, productivity, and career niches.