Introduction
As humans in the modern world, we’ve become increasingly disconnected from nature and the earth beneath our feet. From wearing shoes to sleeping in elevated beds, many aspects of our lifestyle prevent us from experiencing the benefits of direct skin contact with the ground. This loss of natural grounding may be impacting our health in ways we don’t fully realize. In this blog, we’ll explore the overlooked importance of grounding or “earthing,” how modern lifestyle has disconnected us from it, and simple ways you can start reaping the benefits today.
The Historical Context: Our Relationship with Grounding
Our Shoe Obsession Disconnects Us from the Earth
Historical Perspective: For over 99% of human evolution, our ancestors walked barefoot and slept on natural surfaces that allowed constant grounding. But archeologists estimate shoes didn’t become commonplace until as recently as a few hundred years ago.Leather to Synthetic: In the 1600s, leather shoes gained traction across Europe and the Americas. But it wasn't until the late 1900s and the advent of modern synthetic materials like rubber, plastic, and foam that being grounded became abnormal.
Modern Trends: In the 1960s and 70s, athletic shoe brands like Nike and Adidas introduced molded soles made from entirely synthetic materials. Companies began mass-producing affordable shoes using these novel man-made ingredients. Over the course of just a generation or two, wearing shoes all day every day became the new normal.
The Result: Today, we wear shoes nearly 24/7, from our homes to offices to running errands. And when we are barefoot at home, elevated beds, wood floors, and carpet prevent our bodies from connecting to the earth as we sleep. Essentially, we’ve become disconnected from our natural state of being grounded.
The Consequences of Modern Footwear
How Modern Shoes Block Grounding's Benefits
Natural Electron Flow: Leather shoes at least allowed some natural electron flow between our skin and the earth. But common shoe materials like rubber, plastic, foam, and synthetic leather form effective insulators.The Science: The surface of the earth holds a limitless supply of free electrons. Going barefoot allows our skin to absorb these electrons, which helps neutralize inflammation-causing free radicals in our bodies. But shoes disrupt this natural process.
Study Insights: One study tested the insulating effects of different shoe soles by measuring electrical conduction across them. While leather shoes showed some conductivity, materials like ethylene vinyl acetate (the foam in running shoes) completely blocked conduction.
The Bottom Line: So those heavily cushioned sneakers may protect your feet from rocks and hot pavement. But they also block grounding electrons that support your overall health.
The Science Behind Grounding
How Elevated Beds Reduce Grounding as We Sleep
The Problem: Sleeping elevated in beds produces a similar disconnect from the earth as wearing shoes.Research Findings: One study grounded participants by having them sleep in contact with conductive sheets connected by a wire to an earth ground outside. The results were profound. Grounding the body at night significantly reduced overall stress, pain levels, and inflammatory markers.
Conclusion from Study: The effects were so powerful that the researchers concluded being grounded during sleep “is as essential as sunshine, nutrients, and other lifestyle factors for maintaining health.”
The Modern Challenge: Yet the average elevated bed keeps our bodies isolated from the ground’s natural electrons all night long. Even small steps like placing grounding pads under your feet or sheets can make a big difference. More on that soon.
A Healthier You: The Benefits of Grounding
The Many Benefits of Getting Grounded
Research Confirms: An increasing body of research confirms grounding on the earth’s surface has wide-ranging wellness benefits. Regularly going barefoot outside or using grounding products helps:
1. Increase antioxidant defenses and lower inflammation
2. Thin the blood and improve blood flow
3. Balance the nervous system’s fight-or-flight response
4. Reduce pain and muscle tension
5. Improve sleep and energy levels
6. Stabilize circadian rhythms and cortisol secretion
7. Prevent sudden cardiac death after heart attacks
8. Reduce electric fields induced by common electronics
Case Studies: In one study, grounding during exercise led to significantly less muscle soreness, joint pain, and fatigue compared to non-grounded exercise. Other research found grounding internalizes inflammation on a biochemical level by calming overactive immune cells.
Beyond Science: There’s even evidence grounding systems can protect against the unhealthy effects of constant WiFi and electronics which can overwhelm our bodies. Pretty impressive benefits for such a simple practice!
Practical Ways to Incorporate Grounding
Simple Ways to Up Your Grounding Time
Walk Barefoot Outdoors: Kicking off your shoes outdoors should be your first move. Any chance to walk barefoot in nature is ideal – whether strolling through your backyard, hiking trails, or relaxing at the park or beach. Start small with 10-15 minutes daily. Work towards at least 30-60 minutes of outdoor barefoot time if possible.Indoor Solutions: Using grounding mats or pads while working or relaxing indoors allows you to soak up the earth’s electrons even without skin-to-ground contact. Your best bet is a system with a cord connecting to a ground port or outdoor grounding rod sunk in the earth. Yoga mats or seat pads make it easy to stay grounded as you go about your day inside.
Night-Time Routine: Making sure you stay grounded while sleeping is crucial as well. Conductive bed sheets or mats that plug into a grounded outlet or port are available. You can also simply keep a grounding pad under your feet or sheets. Just a few nights of grounded sleep can make a noticeable difference in your energy and inflammation levels.
For the Kids: Let kids go barefoot more. Make going barefoot part of their daily routine. Let them play or do homework barefoot indoors. And encourage outdoor barefoot time as much as weather allows. Being grounded from a young age develops strong electrical connections with the earth.
Mindfulness Approach: Try grounding walking meditations. Taking mindful barefoot walks can enhance the grounding benefits even more. Bring your senses to the sensations under your feet. Notice the warmth, texture, and connection with the living earth. Much like yoga emphasizes barefoot postures, mindful grounding walks teach us to find peace in simply being.
The Bigger Picture
Reclaiming Your Connection to the Earth
At the end of the day, our species evolved while walking barefoot on the ground for millions of years. Reclaiming that connection provides a surplus of electrons essential for powering our bodies and neutralizing oxidative stress. And absorbing the earth’s negative charge balances the positive charge from all the wireless gadgets surrounding us.As Clint Ober, who helped rediscover grounding, put it:
“Throughout history humans were connected to the Earth. But today in a world of asphalt, synthetics, and electricity we have lost touch with this connection and lost something vital for life and well-being.”
With some very
achievable tweaks to your lifestyle, you can recapture the long-overlooked benefits of grounding yourself in the earth. Your health on many levels will thank you.