Grounding Soles: 4 Benefits of Earthing
Grounding – what’s that? Also known as earthing. Kick off your shoes and plant your bare feet in the grass as you learn why this has massive benefits. đź‘Ł
People spend so much time inside. That means they don’t get enough Vitamin D and aren’t taking advantage of the natural benefits of grounding, or earthing. The earth is full of energy and electrons your body can take up to balance your electrical frequency. If you are inside all the time you aren’t getting 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 take off your socks and shoes to feel the benefits while getting all the antioxidants and electrons that help bring your body to homeostasis, or balance.
My family and all of Pathway To Wellness team regularly takes 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 know how chilly that is. Wisconsin temps can dip to -30 and snow drifts taller than my middle daughter. We still get out there on the cold, icy ground though. (Don’t worry if you aren’t into 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 its important and there are massive benefits.
Here are my 4 favorite benefits of earthing:
More Antioxidant Power
Antioxidants reduce free radicals and one of the best ways to get massive amounts of antioxidants is through grounding. When your feet, or body, are absorbing electrons, those electrons have the same effect as the antioxidants that you eat to neutralize free radicals. This can diminish the damage of the cells through natural-aging or exposure to toxins. One of the awesome benefits of earthing is it is the largest source of free antioxidants. (1)
Reduces Pain and Inflammation
Antioxidants and earthing can help reduce inflammation and pain! There have been studies that 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 was diminished. 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 pain can be reduced.
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 during their sleep cycle as well as their 24-hour cortisol profiles before and after grounding. (4) After grounding the cortisol profiles went from scattered to steady. If you start grounding you are going to see great improvements to your sleep patterns.
Lowers Stress
As soon as my feet feel the blades of grass between my toes I can feel the reduction of stress. Grounding has been shown to take your body out of the fight or flight mode that so many of us are in because of modern day stresses. (5) Cortisol is an important hormone in your sleep cycle but it’s also a main stress hormone. By keeping cortisol levels where they should be it 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 have significant impact on stress, pain and inflammation. (1) I recommend grounding for as long as possible, but you will get massive benefits even if you just ground for a few minutes. Do what ever 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. I know 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. I also use a grounding mat and a pillow case that ensure I get my grounding in even when I’m not going outside barefoot.
No matter how you ground you are going to get some awesome benefits. It’s simple. Just 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?
Written By Dr. Patrick Flynn
Watch Dr. Patrick Flynn’s Quick Tip in Grounding:
Resources