New Study Offers $16K to Stay in Bed For 2 Whole Months

It may sound like an incredible deal – stay in bed for two months doing nothing and receive $16K at the end of your relaxation vacation. But if this French study sounds too good to be true, it’s probably because it’s going to be a lot harder than it may appear at first.

ABC 13 writes that the French Space Medicine and Physiology organization in Toulouse is looking for 10 men who are in shape and between the ages of 20 to 45 to take part in a 3-month-long study.

It will begin with two weeks of testing before they’ll lie on a bed for 2 solid months with their heads tilted 6 degrees lower than their feet. They can shift their weight and change shoulder positions, but they will not be able to sit up all the way.

The odd position will simulate weightlessness in space flight, and the 16 science teams watching the test subjects will be able to pull information about “blood volume, cardiac performance and vascular resistance” in space.

The CNES press release explains that participants will drink an “anti-oxidant and anti- inflammatory ‘cocktail’ consisting of a mixture of natural polyphenol extracts from edible plants. To study the effects of this dietary supplement, half of the group is taking the cocktail while the other half, also in the bedrest position, is not and thus acting as a control group.”

The experiment ends with another two week period of tests, and each participant will receive $16K in installments for four years. Perhaps it doesn’t sound as tempting now to stay in bed for two months!