The Sleeping Position That Could Be Affecting Your Success

Getting a good night’s rest before a big test or job interview has a positive effect on your mood and productivity — but it’s not the only contributing factor when it comes to how you’re feeling the next morning. Turns out, the way you’re sleeping is equally important.

Amy Cuddy, renowned body language expert and Harvard business professor, has researched the way our sleeping positions affect our outlook the next morning. She told The New York Times that people who sleep in the fetal position (lying on the side with your arms and legs curled up) feel 40% less optimistic and powerful than people who sleep with their arms and legs extended. “If you wake up in a fetal position, you’re waking up on the wrong side of the bed,” Cuddy says.

Uh-oh. That’s not the best way to take on any day – whether in the workplace or in the classroom.

For those of us who like to curl up at night (seriously, who doesn’t curl up when winter rolls around?), your fate isn’t set in stone. Cuddy recommends stretching your arms and legs out when you wake up, taking up as much space as possible and holding that position for a few minutes before you start your day.

Now you’re ready to take on the world! If you are preparing for that job interview, take a look at a few foods you should eat beforehand to blow your interviewer away.