Research has revealed that electrically conductive contact of the human body with the surface of the earth (otherwise called grounding or earthing) produces beneficial effects on health and physiology. The earth is a giant electromagnetic field and humans have bioelectromagnetic fields. By connecting our fields to the earth’s fields, we can reduce fatigue, inflammation, increase our energy and improve recovery. Grounding appears to improve sleep, normalize the day–night cortisol rhythm, reduce pain, reduce stress, shift the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic toward parasympathetic activation, increase heart rate variability, speed wound healing, and reduce blood viscosity. It does this primarily by reducing inflammation, something that we know contributes to almost all chronic diseases. A quick search on Pub Med for scientific research papers yields many publications about earthing and we have a couple here on our website for you to read:

• The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases
• Integrative and lifestyle medicine strategies should include Earthing (grounding): Review of research evidence and clinical observations)

Our ancestors spent much of their time walking around barefoot or with minimal foot coverings allowing ample contact with the earth. These days, its easy to go days if not weeks without having direct contact with the earth. Our ancestors also slept outside on the ground, allowing for many hours of direct restorative healing while sleeping. Ideally, we would be doing the same today.

Try to get outside and walk around barefoot for at least 15 minutes every day. This is free and will give you some exercise along with the benefits of grounding. Most days, I get outside and go for a barefoot walk soon after waking up. I think of the connection with the earth’s healing electrons as charging myself up. In addition to grounding, this also helps set my circadian rhythm by exposing my retina to sunlight upon waking. After working shift work for over 15 years, my circadian rhythm is confused and needs all the help it can get. Research has shown that the most important time to ground for health and well being is during sleep. While I highly recommend unplugging and camping as much as you can, it’s not feasible for most of us most of the time. Luckily, technology has solutions to help us with this. Grounding mats and pillowcases allow us to ground while sleeping in the comfort of a bed. They are portable and I bring my grounding mat with me while traveling. I use mats from earthing.com (and have no connection to this company). This helps my body to ground in the new location and improves jet lag.