Science-Backed Benefits of Earthing: Plus 3 Easy Ways to Get Grounded

What is Earthing?

Earthing, also known as grounding, is when your bare skin–typically the feet–contacts the earth. The earth is a giant electron storehouse with a subtle electric pulse called the Schumann Resonance that has fostered the evolution of biological life on earth for all of time. When you are electrically grounded, your biology has access to an endless supply of electrons allowing you to function as you have evolved to, entrained to the 24 hour circadian rhythm of the earth which orchestrates normal diurnal hormone patterns.

Grounding Electronics and the Electric Human

Grounding is a crucial component in the efficacy of the electronics and telecommunications industry. You have to ground all data transfer cables to the earth in order to maintain electrical stability, prevent charge, and avoid electrical interference (noise). For example, the control system of cell phone towers is kept in shielded metal boxes on the ground which run to the antennas via heavily grounded cabling to prevent electrical interference.

The crisp image TV is able to bring is due to the cable shielding which prevents electrical interference (noise). The cable is wrapped with a conductive sheath that is grounded to the earth to shield any electrical charge from interfering with the wires transmitting data-rich signals inside.

Grounded technology is what has allowed for the complexity of perfect data transfer in today’s age of the telecommunication industry through the internet, cable, and telephone.

The human body is no different. We require ground to maintain electrical stability–we are electric beings after all–and achieve perfect data transfer between the complexity of our environment (Earth’s 24-hour day cycle) and our human circadian rhythm, which informs the myriad of biological processes our bodies perform daily.

Ultimate Guide to Earthing

Human beings function optimally when we have a slight negative charge, the same to that of earth, which happens naturally when we connect electrically with the earth via grounding. The electron-rich natural rhythms of sunlight, lightning, and the earth’s hydrologic cycle charge the earth with an unlimited supply of negative ions. When we humans are disconnected from the earth, our bioelectric potential and immune system go deficient. This happens more rapidly with exposure to man-made electromagnetic frequencies (cell phone, wifi, refrigerator, smart meter etc.) as this man made form of EMF affects tissue repair processes and disturbs immune function through stimulation of various allergic and inflammatory responses.[1]

Early Earthing Research

Clint Ober, author of Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever! and pioneer earthing researcher, worked 25 years in the telecommunications industry where grounding electrical equipment was a part of his daily work. One day the idea occurred to him: ever since the advent of rubber soled shoes, humans were no longer in contact with the earth. Could this be having an effect on human health?

As it turns out, the answer is a resounding yes. Humans are electrical beings: like everything both living and inanimate, we are made up of atoms which have a net charge that’s either positive, negative, or neutral. Just like electrical equipment, when our bodies are not grounded, there is a buildup of positive ions that wreak havoc on our health.

One of the first ways Ober tested his theory was in a study testing the salivary cortisol levels of grounded participants: and results were profound.[2][3] While cortisol levels were all over the place before grounding, after earthing cortisol levels were regulated and synchronized with circadian rhythm. Furthermore, those who slept grounded via earthing sheets showed a normalization of cortisol secretion that started to increase at 4am and peaked at 8am (morning alertness). The only thing that changed in these sleeping subjects was the fact that they were sleeping grounded. His findings started him on a long journey of research, and resulted in scientists and researchers around the world looking into the remarkable (and plentiful) science-backed health benefits of earthing.

The Science-Backed Benefits of Earthing

There are two fundamental changes that occur when you are grounded that are responsible for all of the science-backed benefits of earthing: reduced inflammation and regulated circadian rhythm.

What is Inflammation?

Inflammation is primarily caused by neutrophils, which are a type of white blood cell the body releases when it detects a pathogen or damaged cell. Neutrophils are sent to the site where the pathogen or damaged cell is located, encapsulate it, then release reactive, electron-deficient oxygen molecules.

When a neutrophil does its job to destroy the pathogen or damaged cell, there are leftover reactive electron-starved oxygen molecule byproducts. If there are not enough electrons in the body, within seconds these reactive molecules are going to steal an electron from a healthy cell. Free electron deficiency is common in those who live an unnatural lifestyle and lack a whole foods diet and regular connection with natural environments.

When electrons are stolen from healthy cells, due to a deficiency in free electrons, the immune system is then triggered: "oh there's more damage," and sends more neutrophils to remediate the newly damaged cells, and so begins a chain reaction. Silent, chronic inflammation that can continue for years. To prevent this inflammatory domino effect, it's easy: get grounded.

When you are electrically grounded to the earth, free electrons spread throughout the body, which has a resulting antioxidant effect. After the neutrophils release their oxidative burst and seek out electrons, the electrons from earthing are there to neutralize the situation by offering electrons, which prevents neutrophils from stealing electrons from healthy cells, thereby staving off the inflammation cascade.[4]

What is Circadian Rhythm?

In short, circadian rhythm is your body’s internal clock. Sunlight, forest bathing, groundwater submersion, and earthing all connect you with the extremely low frequency (ELF) of the earth’s Schumann Resonance which informs our internal clock. Circadian rhythm encompasses much more than just the sleep-wake cycle–it’s how your body coordinates the 24-hour cycle of precise biochemical reactions that are crucial for optimal health.

When we live disconnected from the harmonizing frequencies of unadulterated earth, our internal timing is off, which results in serious problems like inflammation, insomnia, mood affective disorders, and autoimmune disease.

Science-Backed Benefits of Earthing

Heart Health and Blood Flow

Earthing has been shown to increase the surface charge of red blood cells, thereby reducing blood viscosity and clumping. The red blood cells maintain separation as a result of their surface charge, allowing for a more orderly single-file flow into the capillaries. Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce risk of cardiovascular events. The circulatory benefits of earthing increase the health and recovery of our body's tissue by improving the delivery of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.

Further studies have shown earthing's effectiveness in improving heart rate variability (HRV). Variability in one's heart rate is linked with reduced stress and greater calmness. HRV is a widely accepted indicator of health–yet another reason why earthing is a powerful tool to use to minimize risk of a cardiovascular event.[5][6]

Pain Reduction and Expedited Wound Healing

Earthing after injury can reduce or even prevent the hallmark signs of inflammation: redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function. Researchers have confirmed expedited recovery of painful chronic inflammation using medical infrared imaging.[7]

Pain reduction from earthing helps both newly formed wounds as well as the many types of chronic pain, such as arthritis. By producing measurable differences in the concentrations of white blood cells, cytokines, and other molecules, earthing benefits the inflammatory response.

Grounding after exercise is helpful in the speed of recovery. One study monitored pain and immune response and pain in response to injury employed delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) of participants who wore grounding patches and slept on earthing sheets versus a placebo group. The grounded participants not only reported less pain, their immune system and healing process showed less inflammatory markers.[8]

Sync Your Internal Clock for Better Sleep

Earthing yields quantifiable changes in diurnal circadian cortisol secretion levels that improve sleep.[3] Grounding’s regulating effect on circadian rhythm prepares your body for sleep hormonally, while its stress-reduction qualities lower anxiety and other symptoms that can make it hard to fall or stay asleep. Earthing helps prevent insomnia, quickens sleep onset, and results in a deeper, more restorative night’s sleep.[9]

Earthing Infants and Vagal Tone

Earthing preterm infants led to a 95.6% mean decrease in skin surface voltage at the onset of electrical grounding. The incubators in this study were outfitted with a power supply inches from the baby's mattress, which produced a sizable electromagnetic field (EMF) at the mattress level–meaning babies in the incubators were constantly exposed to EMF.

When researchers affixed grounding patches to the newborns (neonates), they found impressive improvements in the infants' vagal tone. The vagus nerve is a fundamental component of the parasympathetic nervous system balance, and vagal tone is linked to activity of the heart, vessels, lungs, digestive tract, and more.

The electrical environment of an incubator affects autonomic balance. Electrical grounding improves vagal tone and may improve resilience to stress and lower the risk of neonatal morbidity in preterm infants.[10]

Cognitive Function and Neuromodulation

If your body is experiencing chronic inflammation, one of the first functions to be affected is cognition. All-too-common results of this are brain fog, fatigue, irritability, and problems with mood, memory, and mental processing. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of electrons via grounding make earthing a potent way to maintain normalized function in the brain. Clean up chronic systemic inflammation with regular earthing to experience life with minimal neurological impairment.

Earthing has significant influence on the electrical activity of the brain, generating an immediate change in brain scan results via electroencephalography (EEG), surface electromyography (SEMG), and somato-sensory evoked potentials (SSEPs). The normalizing effect of earthing on the brain, as indicated by the tests performed in this study, indicates that grounding may play a primary role in regulating neurological and nervous system function.[11]

3 Simple Ways to Incorporate More Grounding into Your Lifestyle

Use an Earthing Mat and/or Earthing Sheet

Earthing mats or earthing sheets are an easy way to bring the benefits of earthing into your home as they simulate the effect of sleeping in direct contact with the Earth, while still being in the comfort of your own home. Place a grounding mat under your desk upon which you can place your feet while you work. Earthing sheets can be used on the bed to stay grounded all night long. Grounding equipment like earthing mats and earthing sheets can either be plugged into the grounding outlet of your wall, or you can route the cord outside and stick a stake straight in the earth!

Athletes are always among the firsts to discover new health and performance tactics, so it is no surprise that athletes around the world are employing the science-backed benefits of earthing into their recovery protocol.

Tour de France athletes have been using grounding sleeping bags during competitions for years. By sleeping in these 'grounded cocoons' each night, the athletes experience accelerated tissue repair and wound healing, and wake up refreshed and ready to compete in the next leg of the race, averaging 105 miles a day![12]

See the Benefits of Earthing for Yourself

Thermal photography taken before and after grounding has demonstrated a notable reduction in inflammation and normal thermal symmetry after just 30 minutes of earthing.[7]

Earthing Shoes and Earthing Sandals

Earthing shoes are another simple trick to stay grounded. Wear grounding shoes to reap the benefits of earthing barefoot, with more protection underfoot for limitless potential!

If you don’t want to hike/run/walk the dog while barefoot, try earthing shoes. Earth Runners earthing sandals feature a copper plug and conductive stainless steel stitching up the entire length of the lace, keeping you fully grounded whenever you are standing or walking upon the earth.

Or, turn any minimalist shoes into grounding shoes with the iON SYNC® DIY Earthing Shoe Kit.