Have you ever gone for a walk barefoot on the beach and felt wonderfully relaxed after?
Have you sat on the ground for a fun picnic and felt the stress of the day melt away?
Have you gone for a shoe-less walk with your kids only to feel a rush of energy and exhilaration?
You were grounding yourself.
Grounding is an easy to use tool that will vigorously boost your body’s own self-repair and healing mechanisms.
Earthing (also known as grounding) refers to contact with the Earth’s surface electrons by walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems that transfer the energy from the ground into the body.
I will be sharing just a few benefits of walking barefoot or spending time outside on the ground. And then I will explain how you can do it.
Get ready to kick those shoes off and join me for a relaxing walk in the grass. Feel the soft grass between your toes, tickling the bottoms of your feet. Don’t worry about the dirt, it washes right off.
Research has shown barefoot contact with the earth can produce nearly instant changes in a variety of physiological measures, helping improve sleep, reduce pain, decrease muscle tension and lower stress. I found a plethora of health benefits in my research, so many in fact, that I decided to narrow it down, picking only 5.
For those of you who have sensory issues and are unable to be barefoot outside, wearing natural, leather-soled shoes whose permeability allows that connection, is also an option. There are also earthing products, like mats, available online that you can purchase and use to achieve similar results.
Reduce Inflammation
Inflammation is a localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful. Sometimes, we can see inflammation, other times, it is internal and the only way we know we are experiencing it, is by feeling discomfort or pain.
According to a study in the Journal of Inflammation Research, grounding reduces or even prevents the cardinal signs of inflammation following injury: redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function. Rapid resolution of painful chronic inflammation was confirmed in 20 case studies using medical infrared imaging. After completing the study the researchers hypothesized that electrons from the Earth can prevent or resolve so-called “silent” or “smoldering” inflammation.
In 2010, exercise physiologist Richard Brown of the University of Oregon’s Human Physiology Department conducted a study demonstrating how Earthing significantly reduces the degree and duration of soreness and inflammation after intense exercise with barbells that created muscle damage. Such damage and discomfort is common in the sports and fitness world.
The next time you lift weights or injure yourself and experience inflammation, I encourage you to go outside. Stand on the earth with your bare feet and enjoy the connection.
Reduce Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is ongoing and usually lasts for more than 6 months. Some common examples of chronic pain include: frequent headaches, nerve damage pain, low back pain and pain from prior injury.
In a similar way to eating foods rich in anti-oxidants, earthing or grounding provides an instant rush of negative ions to flood the body from a single touch. These are attracted to the free positive ions, or free radicals, neutralizing their potential to cause inflammation and pain (J.L. Oschman).
From the 2012 blog of a medical doctor in England: “On 3rd January, I vaulted over a high gate and landed on some steps the other side, twisting my right ankle as I did this. I’ve had pain in this ankle ever since. Not enough to stop me walking, but running has been out of the question. Rushing down the stairs (as I like to do) has also been quite uncomfortable. I’ve also had a pain in the top of my left foot. Not sure when this started, but I first noticed it at least several weeks ago. My earthing experiment started with me sitting with my bare feet on damp grass on 14th April. I lasted 20 minutes. Later in the day I noticed that the pain in my left foot and ankle had disappeared completely (and they have not returned since).
Another odd thing is that for the preceding few days I had been brewing an ingrowing toenail on my right big toe. I used to get these a lot when I younger, but they’ve been rarer since I’ve gotten older. The normal course for these is to get steadily worse over several days and then I’d perform a bit of DIY surgery (don’t ask) to relieve the issue. The morning after my first earthing escapade, I noticed that my ingrowing toenail had utterly resolved on its own. That day I put my bare feet on the grass again, this time for 30 minutes. And then an earthing mat arrived and I’ve been using it ever since which I put my feet on when I work).”
My preference is to go outside when possible to get the benefits directly from the earth. However, if that is not possible, a grounding mat is a great alternative. I hope to try one in the future!
Improve Sleep
Deep sleep helps to boost immune function, support cardiac health, and control stress and anxiety. The problem in today’s fast-paced and overbooked world is that we are not meeting the minimum sleep guidelines. According to sleepfoundation.org, adults should optimally receive between seven and nine hours of sleep each night, but those needs vary individually. For example, some people feel best with eight consecutive hours of sleep, while others do well with six to seven hours at night and daytime napping.
When we don’t sleep well it disturbs everything. Our rhythm gets out of whack, we are short-tempered, experience brain fog, feel drowsy, lack energy, are more likely to choose unhealthy foods etc. Sleep is foundational for a healthy lifestyle.
I love this testimonial from the Earth Institute, “I read a book called “Earthing” and I would say it has changed my life significantly. As suggested in the book, I have made a conscious effort to make more direct contact with the EARTH − either by barefooting it or sitting on the ground. I am sleeping so well it is downright scary! Last night −7 1/2 hours without even going to the bathroom! I haven’t had one of those little sleep-aids in a month now. Besides that, the inflammation in my body in the form of aches and pains in the arthritic areas has been greatly reduced. I have become a true believer in this theory.”
If you want to improve your sleep, spend some time outside on the earth or purchase earthing bedsheets. Again, I have not tried any earthing products, if you decide to, please comment on this post and share your experience.
Improve Immunity
Our immune system works its hardest when it’s supercharged with electrons. According to an article published on ScienceDirect, earthing restores a primordial electric connection to the Earth lost over time because of human lifestyle. Earthing appears to correct what we call an “electron deficiency syndrome,” an overlooked and likely significant cause of multiple health disorders.
As a result of our concrete jungle and super busy lifestyles, we spend most of our lives separated from the grounding effects of earth by sidewalks and shoes. This disrupts the natural connection that we are meant to have with the earth.
In 2011, researchers Sokal and Sokal conducted experiments to determine how earthing influences physiological processes. One of these experiments investigated how earthing affected the immune response to a vaccine.
They recruited 32 male volunteers, all around 20 years old. During the experiment, the volunteers lived under the same environmental conditions and ate the same food. On the first day, they each received a dose of typhoid vaccine. The researchers followed the volunteers for four days. On the third day, one group of volunteers was put into contact with the Earth using a copper plate attached to their legs and connected by a wire to the ground outside. The other group received ‘sham-contact’ achieved with a broken wire.
Earthing and sham-earthing continued overnight, with the volunteers unaware of which intervention they were receiving. The following morning, the researchers took blood samples from all of the volunteers. They found that overnight earthing caused lower serum concentrations of iron, total protein, and albumin. Meanwhile, transferrin, ferritin, and globulins a1, a2, beta, and gamma increased, indicating that the immune response to the vaccine was accelerated.
The authors of the study conclude that “contact with the Earth can affect the regulation of immune response.”
In simple terms, when you take your shoes off and stand on the earth, the electron balance is restored, bringing you back into proper alignment. This has shown to provide a multitude of health benefits, including, helping to strengthen your immune system.
Decrease Stress
For those of us living in the 21st Century, stress is, sadly, a normal part of life. Work, kids, commutes, relationship issues, health problems, pandemics…the list goes on. Life is crazy. We are so busy, we rarely take time to breathe.
In 2006, Chevalier, Mori, and Oschman published a study in the journal European Biology and Bioelectromagnetics, that concluded that earthing creates a reduction in overall stress and tension. There were 58 subjects in the study, the majority of whom showed marked positive changes in EEG, EMG, and pulse rates after earthing. In fact, half the subjects showed rapid improvement in these readings as soon as they were grounded.
If stress is getting you down, I have good news! Decreasing your stress levels is as easy as taking your shoes and socks off and stepping outside.
Easy Guide to Grounding
Grounding is as simple as playing barefoot in a creek, taking a walk or sitting barefoot, and reading a book.
This holistic practice is super easy because all that is required is access to earth’s surface such as sand, soil, grass and rocks. I live in a beautiful suburban/rural town with unlimited access to the earth. If you live in a city, surrounded by concrete, and you are unable to get to natural earth easily, you might want to consider researching earthing products.
For those who do have access, take your shoes off, step outside and dig your toes in the dirt. Just kidding, you don’t actually have to do that. But you can if you want to!
Some days, my grounding practice is as simple as walking in the grass to get the mail. Other days, I take a more intentional approach. I will apply Balance, a grounding essential oil, and stand in the yard. I take deep breaths, sometimes I pray, other times I give thanks to God while standing barefoot in the grass. I have a friend who enjoys practicing meditation while sitting in her yard. The important thing is finding what works for you.
Balance Essential Oil by doTERRA strengthens the connection with the lower body and with the earth making it a perfect companion to the practice of earthing. It promotes a whole-body sense of relaxation which makes it ideal for daily use. For a grounding experience, breathe in deeply. Apply to pulse points. Balance evokes feelings of tranquility and, well, balance. For more information on Balance click here.
If grounding is a totally new concept for you, you are not alone. I have always loved being barefoot in the yard and I knew I felt better as a result, but I didn’t know it was an actual “thing” until about 2 years ago. Start slowly, maybe try to spend 10 minutes a couple of times a week with your feet on the earth. As you have seen with the prior examples of grounding success, it doesn’t take much. If you can work up to spending a few minutes barefoot outside every day, you will absolutely reap the benefits! I have been doing my best to spend more time barefoot outside during the past few months due to increased stress and I can say, without a doubt, that it has done wonders for my sanity!!