Scientists Want To Pay Young Men $16,000 To Stay In Bed For Weeks

Wanted: men willing to lie around all day and get paid for it. It sounds like the couch potato’s dream job, but trust us, you’ll want to think long and hard before jumping at this opportunity. This isn’t a long, relaxing nap or a chance to catch up on the latest Netflix series. It’s actually 60 days of being poked, prodded and examined by scientists.

Research teams are looking for at least 10 healthy men to participate in a study in Toulouse, France, a one-hour flight south of Paris. The chosen ones will be required to lie on their backs for 60 days straight with their heads tilted down slightly. One shoulder always has to remain on the bed! See, not as easy as you thought it would be.

In addition, the men must:

• Use a bedpan because they can’t go to the toilet.
• Take a daily antioxidant and anti-inflammatory cocktail.
• Be monitored by 16 different research teams.
• Spend 15 days preparing for the experiment and 15 days recovering.
• Never sit straight up, even to eat.

All in the name of science. In the end, volunteers will be paid roughly $16,000, which they’ll receive in payments over four years.

By now, you’re asking, “why?” These researchers are in the process of studying the effects of microgravity on the body. According to NASA, that’s when people or objects appear to be weightless. It’s why astronauts float around in space. Teams from the Institute for Space Medicine and Physiology and CNES want to learn how to better assist astronauts while in space, and better prepare them for their return to Earth.

Volunteers are going to bed for #spaceflight research in latest bedrest experiment @CNES @Medes_IMPShttps://t.co/fBu8FJo8eV pic.twitter.com/1FevRGTgiH

— Human Spaceflight (@esaspaceflight) April 11, 2017

This long bed rest mimics the conditions astronauts cope with in space: the same changes in blood volume, cardiac performance and vascular resistance. All have an effect on metabolism, muscles, bones and even your sleep pattern.

As bizarre as the experiment sounds, this horizontal research is anything but new. In 2013, NASA paid thousands to volunteers who ate, drank and even tried working while lying in bed. This research isn’t for the sloths of the world. These applicants were put through a modified physical exam, designed for the Air Force!

Before you consider applying, know volunteers must be between the ages of 20 and 45. Make sure you have a BMI between 22 and 27. By the way, you can’t smoke or have allergies!

The next phase of the research starts in September. Click here to apply (or share the link with an unemployed friend).