Every year for my birthday I buy myself something health improvement focused. Last year I got a grounding mat. I started off using it for about 15 minutes per day and have worked my way up to about 6.5 hours per day. I basically use it most of the workday during the week. I don’t really use it on weekends, but sometimes do real grounding outside when the weather is warm.
One benefit I experienced using it is it helps with sinus congestion. Since I started using it most of the workday, my sleep score has also improved.
Grounding, also known as earthing, is one of those health hacks that seems pretty weird and a bit of a scam, but it actually has a ton of research to support it.
Earthing was introduced to the public in the 90’s by Clint Ober. He grew up in Montana near a Native American reservation. He had Native American friends with families who used the earth’s surface to help heal when they were sick. He worked in the cable industry and one day wondered if people’s shoes insulated them from the earth, negatively impacting health. He experimented, researched, discovered benefits and convinced a few others like Dr. Stephen Sinatra, a heart doctor, of the health benefits of grounding and started spreading the word. Dr. Sinatra performed blood viscosity testing and saw that blood thickness decreased while grounding.
Grounding works by transferring electrons from the Earth into a person’s body. The body receives the electrons and synchronizes with the Earth becoming part of the earth’s global direct current (DC) circuit. This neutralizes positive charges in the body, helping reduce inflammation, improve sleep, relieve pain. Other benefits include helping reduce anxiety, depression, pain, heal wounds faster, improve heart health.
By touching the body to grass, soil, sand or water, the body receives the Earth’s electrons. Grounding occurs anytime skin touches these surfaces: bare feet, your hands, even sitting or laying down on the ground.
I live in the north east, so have a short window of time where the weather is warm and can ground outside. Fortunately, grounding products are available. There are a lot of sellers out there, but I buy from Earthing.com because that’s Clint Ober’s website and knows what he’s doing.
Grounding products work by being plugged into the grounding port of an outlet. Then you just sit on the mat or put your feet on it. Earthing.com also sells products like socks, arm bands, shoes, pillow cases and bed sheets. I’ve ordered twice and both times Clint’s Earthing book was included with the order, in addition to another book called The Mother Earth Effect. A card with a link to a movie about earthing was also included.
There are a bunch of movies on youtube about earthing. This one was interesting and was made by a guy in Alaska and how he helped his community heal from various ailments.
Challenge:
For a free start, go outside and walk without shoes or lay on the grass. Aim for 20 minutes per day. Do it regularly and see if you notice a difference. Walk carefully though if you have venom allergies as some bees make nests underground.
If you have extra money, buy an earthing product. Use it regularly and see if you notice a difference.
If you are taking blood thinners be careful, you may not want to try it without a doctor’s guidance.
Resources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4378297/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10105020/
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/earthing
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2319417022001706