Being connected to the Earth, whether through our earthing mat or by simply walking barefoot in your garden, might sound unconventional at first. However, scientific research suggests that "earthing" has numerous health benefits. In this article, we'll explain what earthing is and how it affects your body with scientific evidence. Explore ways to ground yourself in your garden or indoors, and see how it can reduce stress, mood swings, improve sleep, and boost your energy! also if you consider to earth or ground you can always check our products
Earthing: What Is It? The concept is quite straightforward: making direct contact with the Earth, either through a specialized mat or by walking barefoot. Many people experience the calming sensation of walking barefoot on sand or grass during summer vacations, at the park, or by the pool. This practice is referred to as "earthing." When you engage in this activity, your body conducts the Earth's electrical energy. In ancient times, people, like animals and other living beings, didn't wear socks or shoes. Today, shoes protect our feet from cold and dirt, but they often come with synthetic soles that disconnect us from the Earth. Scientific research indicates that this lack of direct Earth contact may be the cause of various physiological dysfunctions and illnesses in our modern, "unearthed" lives (Chevalier et al., 2012). Connecting with the Earth helps maintain your body's electrical balance. Various electrical signals in your body ensure the proper functioning of your organs, senses, and body cells. These electrical signals control functions such as heartbeats, communication between brain cells, and muscle contractions and relaxations. Atoms, tiny particles in your body, send out these electrical impulses. Atoms contain positively charged, negatively charged, and neutral particles. The unequal charges among these particles create electrical tension, allowing signals to travel from one location to another within your body. (Layton, 2008).
Why Is Earthing Beneficial for Your Electrical Balance? When you ground yourself, you establish direct contact with the Earth. In this process, your body can absorb electrons from the Earth and direct any excess electrical charge within your body to the Earth. Grounding helps your body function optimally.
The Benefits of Earthing on Your Health: Earthing, also known as grounding, supports the healthy operation of your body. When you make physical contact with the Earth using bare feet, it can enhance your sleep, reduce stress, stabilize your mood, and increase your energy levels. But how?
Boosts Your Immune System: Your immune system operates most effectively when it has a sufficient supply of electrons. Your body uses Earth's electrons as antioxidants to combat inflammation, as shown by research (Mercola, 2012).
Improves Sleep: Grounding while sleeping helps your body balance its electrical charge, leading to improved sleep quality. Earthing during sleep significantly lowers cortisol levels and promotes the natural production of cortisol according to your circadian rhythm. This contributes to falling asleep more easily, experiencing deeper sleep, and waking up more refreshed in the morning (Ghaly & Teplitz, 2004).
Balances Cortisol Hormone: Earthing at night aids in maintaining your cortisol levels. The balanced cortisol levels during the day result from your body keeping them in equilibrium according to the 24-hour biological rhythm (Chevalier et al., 2012). After six weeks of earthing, your cortisol levels throughout the day become more synchronized with your circadian rhythm. Notably, the cortisol spike at 8:00 a.m., designed to awaken your body and brain, is more balanced, leading to less stressful awakenings.
Mood Enhancer: Earthing doesn't just benefit your body; it also boosts your mood. Consistent grounding helps balance cortisol levels, which is known as the stress hormone and contributes to stress-related irritability. Balancing this hormone through grounding enhances your resilience to stress reactions and results in a more stable and positive mood (Chevalier et al., 2012).
Energy Booster: Grounding provides you with more energy. This is another positive outcome of balanced cortisol levels. Stress can deplete your body's resources by preparing it for action or flight, causing muscle tension and a faster heart rate. Consequently, you may feel fatigued and experience energy-draining pain. Balanced cortisol helps you conserve energy, leaving you with much more vitality. Along with improved sleep, grounding leads to significantly increased energy levels (Ghaly & Teplitz, 2004).
Reduces Pain: Grounding at night makes you more resilient to pain. For instance, participants in a study conducted by Ghaly & Teplitz (2004) reported experiencing less pain after grounding for eight weeks.
Potential Weight Loss: A study revealed that female rats in a non-grounded cage gained 2.6% more weight over six months compared to female rats in a grounded cage, even though both groups received the same diet and quantity of food (Ober et al., 2010). Whether this has the same effect on humans is uncertain. Nonetheless, stress and cortisol do not facilitate easy weight loss. Cortisol increases appetite, prompts snacking, and leads to fat storage. Regular grounding maintains balanced cortisol levels, mitigating the negative effects of elevated cortisol.
What Does Earthing Do to Your Body? Earthing yields numerous positive effects on your health. It aids in improving your sleep, reducing pain and inflammation, enhancing your mood and energy levels. But how does it work? Why are those electrons from the Earth so beneficial for your body?
Primarily, the electrons from the Earth counteract inflammation in your body. Inflammation can range from minor issues like a pimple to more significant concerns like a throat infection. When an inflammation occurs, your body addresses harmful agents such as bacteria. Even minor injuries trigger your immune system to send white blood cells to the area, releasing free radicals to clear the affected site. Tissues and cells become damaged due to injuries or bacteria, and this damaged tissue must be cleared and replaced by free radicals. Free radicals also destroy bacteria. In this process, inflammation emerges, leading to pain, warmth, redness, and swelling in the affected body part. Initially, these symptoms were believed to be necessary for combating inflammation, but it turns out they are entirely unnecessary. They are a consequence of electron deficiencies in your tissues (Mercola, 2012). This electron deficiency causes free radicals to target healthy tissue, resulting in inflammation. In undamaged tissue, electrons should neutralize free radicals to protect cells from damage. Through grounding, electrons shield this healthy tissue from free radicals by neutralizing them with their unequal electrical charge (Mercola, 2012). Grounding also neutralizes free radicals triggered by factors like pollution, smoking, alcohol, pesticides, and trans fats. Essentially, electrons function as antioxidants. Therefore, to protect your body against various harmful influences, you must consistently replenish your supply of electrons (Mercola, 2014).
Apart from fortifying your immune system, earthing helps regulate your cortisol levels (Ghaly & Teplitz, 2004). Participants in Ghaly and Teplitz's study experienced stress, pain, and poor sleep before eight weeks of grounding. During the research, they slept grounded with an earthing mat on their mattress. After eight weeks of grounded sleep, cortisol levels decreased, and all participants exhibited a clear biological rhythmic pattern in their cortisol levels throughout the day. Participants reported falling asleep faster, waking up less frequently during the night, experiencing less daytime fatigue, and less work-related pain than usual. Participants also noted an improvement in their overall well-being (Ghaly & Teplitz, 2004). These improvements stem from balanced cortisol levels achieved through earthing, allowing the body to function undisturbed (Chevalier et al., 2012). Grounding is also believed to thin the blood, helping your body transport oxygen more efficiently and facilitating better overall functioning and recovery (Mercola, 2013).
Ways to Ground Yourself: So, grounding is backed by scientific evidence for its positive health effects and is more grounded in reality than you might have initially thought. If you want to effortlessly enhance your health, consider going barefoot in your garden. For additional grounding, use indoor earthing mats.
Earthing Outdoors: To naturally ground yourself, step outside barefoot. Walk on sand, preferably moist grass for better grounding, or soil (ceramic tiles, concrete, or stones are acceptable, as long as they're not painted or treated). Asphalt, wood, rubber, plastic, vinyl, sealed tiles, carpet, and paved roads are not suitable for grounding (Mercola, 2014). If you want more than just grounding during your outdoor activities, you can explore outdoor yoga or other sports, run or walk barefoot, and enjoy gardening or barbecuing while being barefoot in your garden.
Indoor Grounding: For indoor grounding, you can use earthing mats and grounding sheets. Place a grounding sheet on your mattress to ground yourself while you sleep. Alternatively, position an earthing mat under your desk to ground yourself while working or studying. Grounding mats connect to the Earth via a cable and a pin that goes into the ground. You can also attach the cable of a grounding mat or sheet to a grounded electrical outlet. When engaging in indoor activities like yoga, pilates, or fitness exercises, use an earthing mat and practice barefoot. Research suggests that practicing yoga on an earthing mat is even more beneficial for your blood flow and blood pressure than doing yoga without grounding (Mercola, 2015).
