Are you looking for a natural and effortless solution to improve your overall health and well-being? Look no further than earthing. Earthing, or grounding, is a simple and effective method that involves connecting with the earth’s natural energy to improve your physical and emotional health.
The simple experience of standing barefoot on grass grounds you!
In this article, I will explore what earthing is, how it works, and the many benefits it can offer. I will also provide tips on how to get started and incorporate earthing into your daily routine. By the end of this article, you will understand the power of earthing and how it can positively impact your life. So, let’s dive in and discover the secret to better health with earthing.
Medical disclosure: The Fit Yourself Barre content is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of a physician. You should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.
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What is Earthing or Grounding?
Summary: Earthing is syncing your body with the earth’s natural energy by walking barefoot on grass, sand, or soil.
Moreover, you don’t necessarily have to walk. You can simply stand, sit, or lie down, as long as your bare skin stays in contact with the ground.
Going barefoot helps us feel more connected to nature in a way that wearing shoes can’t. When we go without shoes, we can experience a deeper connection to the energy of the Earth and boost our stamina and mood.
Just place your bare feet on the ground, and let your body absorb the fuel from nature by coming into contact with Earth’s electrons. This can cause physical changes in your body, like feeling more relaxed!
Earthing is a practice that has been around for centuries but has only recently gained traction in the health and wellness industry. As a result, now you can even find conductive materials such as earthing mats or sheets. How cool is that!!
How Does Earthing Work?
The science behind earthing is based on the fact that the earth has a negative electrical charge. At the same time, our bodies can carry a positive electrical charge due to exposure to electronic devices and environmental toxins. By bonding with the earth’s rhythms, we allow our bodies to absorb its negative charge, which can help to neutralize the positive charge and reduce inflammation in our body.
These free electrons released from the earth that our body absorbs have antioxidant effects by creating an antioxidant microenvironment.
“Until recently, humans lived in direct bare-skin contact with the surface of the Earth. Modern life has insulated us from this connection. The surface of Earth has a negative electric charge maintained by a global electric circuit created mainly by thousands of daily lightning strikes. Electrons from the lightning enter the Earth’s surface making it an electrical reference point with an electric potential set to 0 V by universal agreement. A person in direct skin contact with the Earth’s surface has the same electric potential as the Earth. Contact with the Earth can also be attained through the use of conductive sheets, mats, bands, or electrode patches connected to the Earth’s surface. This connection enables the transfer of the Earth’s free electrons into the electrically conductive human body.” (National Library of Medicine)
Let’s dig a little deeper into the phenomenon of earthing…
So earthing, also known as grounding, works by allowing the human body to reconnect with the earth’s surface electrons. When we walk barefoot or use earthing products, we absorb negative ions from the earth, which are believed to help neutralize free radicals and promote healing within the body.
Earthing also helps to rebalance the body’s biological electric power system. Our bodies are constantly producing electrical impulses. Our exposure to technology and environmental toxins can disrupt this harmony. By bonding with the earth, we can reduce the negative effects of these disruptions and restore our body’s natural electrical balance.
Overall, the exact mechanisms behind how earthing works are still being studied, but the benefits are clear. This earthing healing energy is said to have numerous health advantages, including reducing inflammation, improving sleep quality, and reducing stress levels.
Here are 12 Specific Health Benefits of Earthing
Going barefoot helps us feel more connected to nature in a way that wearing shoes can’t. I don’t know about you but when I go without shoes, I definitely experience a deeper connection to the energy of the Earth and it boosts my energy and mood.
Recent research published in 2012 shows that whether planting your bare feet on Earth or being grounded indoors to conductive systems, may have a wide range of compelling environmental benefits that can profoundly impact your overall health and well-being.
- 1. Reduce your chronic stress and anxiety
Being barefoot can help improve your mood and decrease feelings of anxiety and depression. This may be due in part to the release of endorphins, the balance of hormones, and support of the nervous system that occurs when you connect with the earth.
As a matter of fact, absorbing Earth’s energy shoeless can help reduce levels of cortisol, the hormone of stress. The direct connection with the ground sends signals to our brain enabling us to focus on the present moment. Making us more aware of our environment also helps diminish our anxiety levels.
- 2. Reduce your inflammation
Walking barefoot impacts the body’s inflammatory response and regulates the levels of inflammation, improving tissue and cell repair. By increasing the electrons and antioxidants in our body, Earth grounding helps fight free radicals and oxidative stress due to exposure to environmental pollutants. Earthing may also help improve digestion and gut health by reducing inflammation in the gut.
Chronic inflammation in the body is linked to various health issues, including regular pain.
- 3. Relieve chronic pain
Another study concluded that earthing significantly reduces Creatine Kinase, an enzyme that is released when there is muscle damage. As a result, it demonstrated that barefoot walking lessens muscle damage and has positive effects on chronic pain.
Also, recent research has found that people with COVID-19 infections who have higher levels of this protein called CK enzymes have a greater chance of dying or becoming very sick.
- 4. Get stronger feet
It can seem surprising, but wearing shoes with excessive cushioning and support can actually weaken your feet, preventing them from using certain muscle groups. It can also lead to foot pain and aches. This happens when the shoes don’t fit properly, meaning they are too small or too tight.
So, it’s a good idea to get your feet and shoes checked by someone who knows about foot health, like an expert. That way, you can get shoes that are the right size and shape for your feet.
When you start walking without shoes, you might feel some soreness in your feet and legs at first. But, with time, the discomfort will go away and your feet will become stronger and more flexible. Eventually, your feet will gain back their natural functions and you won’t feel pain anymore. Walking and running barefoot can help make your feet healthy.
- 5. Prevent calluses and ingrown toenails
It is a fact that improper footwear can cause ingrown toenails, calluses, bunions, and hammertoes. Tight-fitting shoes can make the skin around your feet sore because of too much friction. Going shoeless can help keep your feet healthy and stop those problems from forming. It also allows mend any of those problems you already have. Also, when walking on the ground, the blood can flow better which promotes healing.
- 6. Improve your posture
Wearing shoes can cause poor posture, and make your feet weak and less flexible. That is because footwear with lots of cushions causes your body to be out of alignment, placing stress on your lower back, hips, knees, and ankles. This can lead to aches and pains in your neck, back, hips, and knees. Fortunately, grounding barefoot can help reverse the negative consequences of wearing shoes every day!
Plus, by walking shoeless, you can train your feet to move naturally and improve your posture. The natural movement increases the blood flow to your legs, pelvis, and spine. As such, it reduces inflammation around the nerves.
Read the related article: 16 good posture health benefits that are so important!
- 7. Wake up your nervous system
Making barefoot contact with the ground helps wake up your nervous system because it sends sensory signals to your brain that help you be more aware of what’s going on around you.
The flow of Eath’s negative electrons helps restore your body’s natural electricity. This can make your nerves stronger and more relaxed. It ultimately boosts your spirit by making you feel better emotionally.
- 8. Sleep better
So many people report better sleep on days when they visit the beach, including myself.
As a matter of fact, research shows that grounding can improve the duration and quality of sleep by regulating the stress hormones in the body due to the reduction of cortisol levels.
- 9. Relieve your menstrual and hormonal issues
Hormones in the body have to be in the right amounts for us to feel well. Earthing can help counterbalance the levels of cortisol and adrenaline in the body. That can lead to better menstrual cycles for women.
Women with PMS (premenstrual syndrome) have changes in their mood, weight, and headaches. Hormonal imbalances can also cause belly aches and pimples during periods. Grounding can help to balance hormones and make you feel better physically and emotionally.
- 10. Boost your immunity
Another great benefit of earthing is its potential to improve immune function. When your body is exposed to the earth’s natural electromagnetic field, it can help stimulate the production of white blood cells, which are critical to fighting off infections and disease.
In addition to decreasing CK enzymes, grounding increases Neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that increases immunity and protects us from infections.
Read the related article: Best ways to boost your immune system naturally!
- 11. Reduce your blood pressure
Chronic stress can make it more likely for you to have health problems, like high blood pressure, also called hypertension. It is a condition when the force of blood flowing in your veins is too strong.
When feeling stressed, the body releases more hormones like adrenaline and cortisol (the stress hormone). Too much of these can make our blood vessels tighten and the heart beat faster. Over time high blood pressure can damage your arteries causing heart attacks and strokes.
Walking barefoot on the earth is good for our arteries. It helps release a gas called nitric oxide in our bodies which helps relax the single layer of cell lining (endothelium) of the blood vessels and various organs.
It also stimulates the reflexology points in your feet, which can help improve blood flow to your organs and extremities.
A study in PubMed found that people with high blood pressure reduced it after they “grounded” themselves. It indeed caused their blood to flow better, which made them less stressed and their blood pressure went down.
- 12. Strengthen your muscles and bones
As mentioned above, earthing both improves the rate of blood flow back to the heart which reduces the swelling and heaviness in the lower extremities, and strengthens your feet. As a consequence, it also increases muscle strength, especially in your legs.
Moreover, sunlight on bare skin helps your feet get Vitamin D and more calcium for bone strength. So walking without shoes can help you stay strong and have healthy bones!
How Do I Get Started With Earthing?
It is by making a conscious effort to add earthing into your daily regimen, that you can begin to experience the many awesome benefits it has to offer.
Here Are Some Tips For Incorporating Earthing Into Your Daily Routine
- Spend time outdoors barefoot: Take a walk in the park, go hiking, or simply sit under a tree.
The easiest way to practice earthing is to simply take off your shoes and walk barefoot on natural surfaces like grass, sand, or dirt. You can also spend time standing barefoot, sitting, or lying directly in the grass, or even hug a tree (yes, really!).
- Use grounding mats and sheets that mimic the earth’s supply of electrons.
If you’re unable to go outside or don’t have access to natural surfaces, you can still experience the benefits of grounding by using earthing mats, sheets, or patches. These products are designed to simulate the electrical charge of the earth and can be used indoors on your bed, couch, or at your desk.
- Try earthing exercises such as earthing yoga or exercise shoeless
Make earthing a habit: To experience the full benefits of earthing, it’s important to make it a regular part of your routine. Set aside specific times each day to practice earthing or blend it into activities you already do, such as your daily workout routine or yoga.
Read the related article: Is training barefoot good? 10 great benefits of exercising shoeless!
How Long Should I Earth Ground Each Day?
Take off your shoes and socks and go outside. You’ll start to feel better quickly. Research shows that spending just half an hour without shoes on the ground can help ease pain, reduce swelling, and give you a better night’s sleep.
Some people find that just 10 minutes of earthing is helpful. It’s like working out: Every minute counts!
Standing, sitting, walking, or running bare feet is a way to be in contact with the earth. You can do this outside on grass, sand, soil, brick, gravel, and stone. Even concrete will ground you!
You can do this inside if your floor is made of unpainted concrete or tiles that are placed directly on the ground. Just make sure that it works by testing your inside floors for conductivity.
Take Off Your Shoes And Let The Earth Work Its Magic!
You now fully understand that by walking on soil and connecting with the earth’s natural energy, you can tap into a powerful source of healing and rejuvenation. Unfortunately, our modern lifestyle keeps us from spending much time outside and interacting with nature.
Unlike our ancestors who used to spend a lot of time outdoors, not wearing shoes, and slept on the ground or on animal skins…
Today, environmental medicine is reemerging with recent scientific research showing how this simple yet effective practice reduces inflammation, improves sleep, and promotes surprising overall physiological and emotional health changes.
We can never have enough of nature, right? Please leave your comments below and if you found this article helpful, why not pin it for later?
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Hi, It’s interesting how human beings are affected in so many ways by being disconnected with nature and mother earth. It makes sense that going barefoot on the grass would help us connect to nature and reap the benefits.
i think for people like me this is a good idea. We are so busy it can be hard to get into nature, but this would be a way of doing it with out having to leave the house.
just wondering. How many minutes would your recommend to do this per day, and would you say that it is worth doing?
Hello Jake!
Yes, it is totally worth doing for about 20-30 minutes every day. But if you can’t even 10 minutes a day is great. If you can’t do it outside, you can buy an indoor grounding mat for example.
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
I have heard of being more grounded, but have never heard about the phenomenon of earthing. I was interested to read that our bodies are positive and the earth is negative, and I always thought it was the other way around.
So the simple act of walking barefooted on the earth or some grass outside can have great health benefits. It is usually a case of getting back to nature, and who doesn’t enjoy the feeling of sinking one’s feet into the grass?
In fact, reading further there are just so many benefits to walking barefoot that I think I am definitely going to try do this more often. I am a ballet teacher so I know I should be doing this, but it is just so comfortable to get used to my soft soled sneakers.
Hello Michel!
Soled sneakers are very comfortable but maybe you could try dancing barefooted at times?
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Thank you so much for your comment 🙂
The concept of earthing is a fascinating reminder of our interconnectedness with the natural world. It’s intriguing to think that simply by going barefoot and connecting with the Earth, we can tap into a source of energy that has been there all along. The idea that the Earth has a negative electrical charge while our bodies often carry a positive charge due to our modern lifestyles is a compelling one. It’s a powerful visual of the need to balance our technologically driven lives with a return to nature.
Hello Andrew!
yes, we so much need to return to nature!
You may be interested to read This is Why Your Brain Needs To See Water
Thank you for sharing your thoughts 🙂
Hi Anne-Caroline, I enjoyed reading this post about the health benefits of earthing. It’s fascinating how connecting to the earth can positively affect our health and well-being. I have always loved to walk barefoot at home and even outside since I was a kid. So without noticing it, I have been practicing earthing for a long time too.
I appreciate that you shared your experience with earthing and that you also provided some scientific evidence to support your claims, as well as some practical tips on how to practice earthing safely and effectively. Thank you for spreading awareness about this natural healing technique. I hope more people will give it a try and experience the benefits for themselves.
Hello Pablo!
fortunately, many of us practice earthing daily without knowing it, it’s true!
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Have a great day and thank you for your comment 🙂