Everybody loves a good night’s sleep but, done right, the way you sleep can also give you a better day of getting things done. Dr. Amy Cuddy has extendED her research of power poses to sleeping positions and has found that the way you sleep can affect the way you feel about yourself throughout the day. And it can affect the way others see you, too.
It turns out that forty percent of people sleep curled in the fetal position. And more than twice as many women as men sleep that way. Simply sleeping with your arms and legs extended can make you feel and act more powerful. “People who arise with arms and legs extended feel brighter and more optimistic than the 40 percent who start the day in a fetal position,” says Dr. Cuddy.
So here’s a beditation life hack you can use, in two parts.
Part 1: When you go to bed, lie on your back in any variation of an expansive power pose. If you don’t sleep alone, it’s OK to just stretch out one side. Focus your mind on this thought: tomorrow I’m going to feel more powerful.
Part 2: Wake up half an hour before you need to (you can set two alarms with your smartphone). Reset the power pose, and reset the thought that you’re going to wake up more powerful.
Guess what? You’ll start waking up feeling smarter and more in charge and you’ll feel that way throughout the day.
