This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
WHAT ON EARTH IS GROUNDING?
According to the Journal of Environmental and Public Health, ” Earthing (or grounding) refers to the discovery of benefits—including better sleep and reduced pain—from walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems that transfer the Earth’s electrons from the ground into the body.” Copyright © 2012 Gaétan Chevalier et al.
In other words, when we connect with the Earth, we will receive energy into our bodies. Along with other meditation techniques, this energy has numerous benefits to our bodies.
BENEFITS OF GROUNDING
According to Dr. Mercola: While it may sound “too easy,” the simple pleasure of walking barefoot can be a powerful health-promoting activity. A scientific review published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health in 2012 found that grounding can help:
| Improve quality of sleep and feelings of restfulness upon waking. |
| Reduce muscle stiffness and soreness. |
| Reduce chronic pain. |
| Normalize secretion of the stress hormone cortisol, so that it adheres to a typical cycle of peaking in the morning and dipping lowest at midnight. This in turn helps promote more restful sleep and improve blood sugar regulation and weight control. |
| Reduce stress and balance your autonomic nervous system by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system (which rules the “rest and digest” functions of the body) and quieting the sympathetic nervous system (which cues the “fight or flight” response). |
| Reduce the severity of the inflammatory response after intense workouts. |
| Raise your heart rate variability (your heart’s ability to respond to stimuli). |
| Speed up wound healing. |
| Improve mood. In one study, grounding for one hour significantly improved mood among adults. |
| Reduce inflammation. In the film, grounding pioneer Clint Ober explains how grounding quenches inflammation: “Inflammation is produced by neutrophils, which are white blood cells. [When] you have an injury … a damaged cell … these white blood cells come over and encapsulate the damaged cell and … release reactive oxygen species, which rip electrons from the damaged cell and that destroys the damaged cell. If there’s not enough free electrons there to reduce the remaining radicals, they’re going to steal an electron from a healthy cell and in the process damage it. Then the message goes out to the immune system and another neutrophil does the same thing and eliminates that cell, and then you have a chain reaction.” |
| Thin your blood, making it less viscous, by strengthening the negative electrical surface charge on your red blood cells. This improves their ability to repel each other and allows them to flow more easily through tiny capillaries, and is incredibly valuable as cardiovascular disease is correlated with thicker, slow-moving blood. It can also help protect against blood clots.In fact, this blood-thinning effect is so profound that if you are taking a blood thinner such as Coumadin, you should consult your doctor before you start grounding regularly. You may need to lower your dosage to avoid overdosing on your medication.Research published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine revealed that two hours of grounding increased the surface charge of red blood cells, thereby reducing blood viscosity and clumping. According to the authors, “Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.” |
| Increase the structure of the water in your cells. Water is in every cell in your body, and this water is highly ordered (structured) and charged. If you don’t have properly structured water in your cells, it can impact the functioning of the much larger protein molecules (and others) that interface with the cell. The water inside the cell also interfaces with water outside the cell, which has the opposite charge, creating a battery effect.Your body’s ability to generate electricity is actually a key part of your achieving health. Electrical charges delivered from cell to cell allows for nearly instantaneous communication within your body, and the messages conducted via these electrical signals are responsible for controlling the rhythm of your heartbeat, the movement of blood around your body and much more.In fact, most of your biological processes are electrical. The water in your cells achieves its ordered structure from energy obtained from the environment, typically in the form of electromagnetic radiation, including sunlight and infrared heat. But grounding may also play an important role. Just as water increases in structure when a negative charge is introduced by an electrode, the negatively charged electrons you receive when grounded help increase the structure of the water in your cells. By restructuring the water, you promote more efficient tissue healing. So, when you ground, you are charging every single cell in your body with energy your body can use for self-healing. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/01/20/grounding-benefits.aspx |
WHEN SHOULD WE GROUND?
Grounding can be done at any time, but you should aim for at least 1-2 hours daily of grounding time. Whenever you can fit that into your schedule is the best time. If you can’t be outdoors, you can try indoor grounding. Use a grounding mat along with woodsy or earth scented essential oils while working , or grounding yoga mat while working out, if you have one. You can also try a grounding mattress pad to improve sleep quality and healing. While brushing teeth, touch the faucet to receive grounding benefits.
In sum, there are so many benefits of grounding. While you may not be cured of any diseases or ailments, it will help to maintain vital balance and health. Take the time to either get outside on a beach, or in a grassy area, and feel how the energy regenerates your body. If you can’t get outdoors, purchase grounding mats, or use other grounding techniques to help with grounding in your home or office.
