What is Earthing?
Earthing is basically “grounding” yourself to a negative charge. Just like you would ground a wire to a negative charge so certain electronic appliances won’t shock you and put you in danger. The ground wire is typically known as the safety wire.
Because we are constantly indoors, surrounded by electrical appliances, we too have a positive charge that can be grounded. You can ground yourself by stepping outside barefoot in the grass or beach. The wetter the grass, dirt, or beach area, the better the grounding works. When you do this you are neutralizing the positive charge your body has. This is real and can be measured by using a multi-meter.
Earthing is the process of grounding yourself. It’s healthy to step outside because of the fresh air and sun, but we can also ground ourselves indoors. Even if you live in a skyscraper 40 floors up, you can ground yourself using any grounding sheet or pad.
Earthing Sounds Like Some Spiritual BS
I’m very skeptical of health claims that sound too easy to implement and boasts of extraordinary benefits. When I first heard of Earthing years ago, I dismissed it. If it’s on websites like Gweneth Paltrow’s goop.com, I’m out, was the thinking. Too many “spiritual weirdos” that talk about the benefits of crystals and “energy” were also talking about grounding.
Does going outside for fresh air and sun and for some mild activity and vitamin D sounds healthy? Absolutely. But is that all Earthing is?
Why Did I Look Into Earthing?
I didn’t hear much about Earthing until this year when a friend mine who I respect mentioned it. He’s into the same things as I am in terms of health, nutrition, and fitness. He told me to check out The Earthing Movie and do my own research. That is what I did.
The premise made sense to me. When people go camping, walk in nature or hang out on the beach barefoot and grounded, they feel better afterwards. Could this be due to the grounding effects of nature? Does any time off of work to relax yield the same benefits? Is it the vitamin D from the sun, fresh air and avoidance of pollutants from urban environments the cause of feeling better? Could it be a combination of both? I’m not sure and it’s something I am curious enough about to test on myself.
The Earthing Movie
The movie was OK. Like most documentaries, it was done to make a point or statement without debating any counter-arguments. The documentary made significant claims with everything said to have been backed up by scientific research. This sounds good but when you see the movie’s like “What the Health” or “The Game Changers” that also make claims “backed by science”, you become very skeptical. So the documentary got me interested, but the next step was to do some research.
Here’s the movie posted on YouTube. I watched it in 2x speed, i don’t think you’ll miss out on anything.
Studies on “Earthing”
There actually are many studies on Earthing. They aren’t the largest studies but it’s enough to get me interested. Not only because of the research but because of the ease of actually implementing grounding in your life. The cost is minimal and the benefits seem great. The risk/reward of grounding yourself more often is a gamble I’m willing to take.
Here are some of the studies on grounding that show measurable and significant benefits of grounding/Earthing. As always, do your own research as well:
- Grounding study indicates a reduction in night-time cortisol levels and improvement in sleep, reduction in pain, and stress
- Earthing (Grounding) the Human Body Reduces Blood Viscosity—a Major Factor in Cardiovascular Disease
- Changes in Pulse Rate, Respiratory Rate, Blood Oxygenation, Perfusion Index, Skin Conductance, and Their Variability Induced During and After Grounding Human Subjects for 40 Minutes
The Cost of Earthing: My Earthing Plan of Action
When I started learning about Earthing, the prospects of improving health through the simple action of grounding got me excited. Imagine sleeping and recovering better just by making sure you are grounded during sleep and part of the day. I’ve always had issues with solid sleep throughout the night. Sleep was what motivated me to get The Oura ring.
The first thing I did was order items related to Earthing. These are the items I purchased to get started.
- An outlet tester to make sure your outlets are grounded properly
- An Earthing mat or pad
- A multimeter to test the voltage in your body to make sure your pads work
Simple Voltage Test On The Body
Conclusion
As of the time of this posting, I haven’t received any of the items I’ve ordered yet. Once I get the mat I plan on sleeping with my legs or feet grounded as well as working with a grounding pad connected to my feet. I will report any benefits I notice while grounding. In the meantime please look on YouTube or Google to research the proper way to use these devices so you don’t electrocute yourself!
