An untapped health resource
How did it start?
My search for a natural avenue to feel and sleep better started last year when my marriage collapsed. Friends, family, and work are a great support system; however, I was looking for an avenue that is available at all times. Something natural, something free that can recalibrate me, heal me, and reduce my pain. While looking for an answer, I stumbled upon an article. The piece signified positive health changes upon connecting with the earth’s surface. There and then, something inside of me clicked!
A brief
The earth’s surface has a limitless supply of negatively charged particles, known as electrons. Global events like thunderstorms produce lightning. The lightning, in turn, replenishes the surface of the earth with these electrons. When we establish direct contact with the ground such as through walking naked feet, the free electrons flow into the body. The connection with the earth is known to promote various physiological changes, conducive to our well-being. The direct contact with the earth’s surface is known as earthing or grounding.
Pre-modern era, people mostly walked barefoot or slept on the ground. Or, used shoes or sleeping mats made of animal skin (a conductor). Such practices allowed the connection with the earth’s surface. Either directly with the body or through perspiration while using natural shoes or mats. Today, we are creating an ever-increasing disconnect with the surface of the earth. The beds we sleep on or the shoes we wear are insulating us from syncing with the earth’s surface.
I self-experimented to study the effects of grounding or earthing if any.
1. A free resource for a better sleep
A month-long pilot study employed sixty people of various ages suffering from chronic muscle pain and sleep disruptions. Out of two equal groups, 27 people from the first group and 23 participants from the second group reported results. The first group slept grounded using conductive beds. The other group also slept on conductive beds but not connected with the earth. All the individuals from the first group reported waking up feeling pretty rested as compared to only three in the control group. 82% of the people from the first group also reported muscle pain reduction while sleeping grounded. The study proves the human body earthing to improve sleep quality and relaxing muscles.
The findings above got me excited to try a new habit. I started walking barefoot outside on the grass for thirty minutes every morning. Although not immediately, I did notice my sleep getting better with time. There were a few outlier nights in the months to follow. However, an increasing number of nights with improved sleep quality convinced me of the beneficial potential our mother earth carries on its surface.
2. Earthing improves blood pressure envelope
The reference article mentions earthing to improve blood pressure.
I have never tracked my blood pressure in the past. I remember faintly my systolic levels in the 120–140s during walk-in clinic visits. To observe if walking barefoot on the grass would affect my BP, I tracked my blood pressure for two months. I generated data with three readings taken at various times of the day for the trial period. The systolic readings in 130s noted 60% of the times the first month dropped to 45% in the second month. Seeing increased systolic readings in the 120s and my diastolic readings always 80–85 sprouted an optimism of improved me. Out of curiosity, I check my blood pressure, now and then; no disappointing numbers I see on the screen.
3. Grounding beats simple relaxation
HRV, heart rate variability, is a variation in the time it takes between each heartbeat. This variation, in turn, is controlled by our nervous system, known as ANS (autonomic nervous system). Measuring HRV, therefore, provides a non-invasive way to assess the ANS function. Earthing has beneficial effects; to this end, the hypothesis that earthing improves HRV proved right. In this work, 27 selected subjects tried 2-hour sessions with 40 minutes of grounding. The HRV improvements from grounding sessions observed were way beyond than seen with basic relaxation techniques.
The work also highlights other benefits of grounding the human body. With HRV improvements observed through grounding, more relaxation, and stress reduction are possible in stressed patients. My trials with earthing have been positive and motivating. I wake up feeling pretty rested, experience more energetic days, and able to address stressors in a more calming manner.
Such evidence-based studies provide us all with a natural and safe avenue present right beneath our feet for improving health score.
Reference:
Chevalier G, Sinatra ST, Oschman JL, Sokal K, Sokal P. Earthing: health implications of reconnecting the human body to the Earth’s surface electrons. J Environ Public Health. 2012;2012:291541.
