Grounding Soles: 4 Benefits of Earthing

People spend so much time inside these days. That means they don’t get enough Vitamin D and aren’t taking advantage of the natural benefits of grounding, otherwise known as earthing. The earth is full of energy and electrons your body can use to balance your electrical frequency. If you are inside all the time, you’re missing out on some of the well-researched and FREE health benefits of earthing. You can’t ground on your wood floors, the concrete, or through your shoes. You need to remove your socks and shoes to get all the antioxidants and electrons that help bring your body to homeostasis or balance.

Doc’s family and The Wellness Way team regularly take advantage of grounding. We get outside and get our feet on the ground. Even during cold Wisconsin winters, we are out there! If you don’t know Wisconsin winters, you don’t understand how chilly that is. Wisconsin temps can dip to -30, and snow drifts can rise taller than our kids. But we still get out there on the cold, icy ground! (Don’t worry if you aren’t into putting your feet on the cold ground; there are other options we can talk about later). But you can see how critical we think it is! We do it because it’s important, and there are massive benefits to doing so. 

Here Are 4 Great Benefits of Earthing:

1- More Antioxidant Power

Antioxidants reduce free radicals, and grounding is one of the best ways to get massive amounts of antioxidants. When your feet or body are absorbing electrons, those electrons have the same effect as the antioxidants you eat to neutralize free radicals. Grounding can diminish cell damage that occurs through natural aging or exposure to toxins. A fantastic benefit of earthing is that it is the largest source of free antioxidants. (1)

2- Reduces Pain and Inflammation

Antioxidants and earthing can help reduce inflammation and pain! Studies show that people who have done grounding report less pain than those who didn’t. They even saw a reduction of white blood cells, which was a good sign that inflammation had gone down. It has even been documented through infrared imaging that earthing can reduce inflammation. (1)(2)(3) Inflammation is the leading cause of pain. If we can reduce inflammation, then we can reduce pain.

3 – Grounding Helps You Sleep

Grounding helps normalize your circadian rhythm; it improves cortisol levels and helps your body adapt so you can sleep better. One study looked at participants who were grounded as they slept. It also measured their 24-hour cortisol profiles before and after grounding. (4) The cortisol profiles went from scattered to steady after grounding. If you start grounding, you will see significant improvements in your sleep patterns.

4 – Lowers Stress

Some people report that as soon as their feet feel the grass between their toes, they can feel the stress go down. Grounding has been shown to take your body out of the fight-or-flight mode that so many of us are in due to modern-day stresses. (5) Cortisol is an essential hormone in your sleep cycle, but it’s also a primary stress hormone. Keeping cortisol levels where they should be can help your body’s response to stress. It also helps keep your other hormones from draining, which can happen if your cortisol levels are off.

Will You Reap the Benefits of Earthing?

As little as 30-40 minutes of grounding can significantly impact stress, pain, and inflammation. (1) We recommend grounding for as long as possible, but you will get massive benefits even if you just ground for a few minutes. Do whatever you can to get the FREE benefits of earthing.

Early morning is best for grounding because the highest number of electrons are available when the sun starts beating on the ground. Yes, it may be easier said than done for some of us! If you are in Texas or Florida, it’s a lot easier to ground year-round. If you are in a colder climate or live in a high rise in the city, you can still get the benefits of grounding. A couple of options are using a grounding mat or grounding pillowcase to ensure you get grounding in, even when you’re not walking barefoot outside.

No matter how you ground, you’ll get some tremendous benefits. It’s simple. Take your shoes and socks off to feel the earth beneath your feet. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of the benefits when it is so easy?

Watch Dr. Patrick Flynn’s Quick Tip in Grounding:

Resources

1. Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons – PMC (nih.gov)
2. Charge transfer in the living matrix – PubMed (nih.gov)
3. Can electrons act as antioxidants? A review and commentary – PubMed (nih.gov)
4. The biologic effects of grounding the human body during sleep as measured by cortisol levels and subjective reporting of sleep, pain, and stress – PubMed (nih.gov)
5. Electric Nutrition: The Surprising Health and Healing Benefits of Biological Grounding (Earthing) – PubMed (nih.gov)