The Healing Effects of Grounding

When was the last time you walked outside barefoot?

Yes, that’s right. No shoes - bare feet on the ground. Usually, when I ask this question, it takes people a few minutes to think about it. The fact is, most people don’t spend much time outside with no shoes. 

What is grounding?

Throughout history, humans walked barefoot or wore shoes with very thin soles. Not today. We wear shoes with thick rubber soles and it's actually become socially unacceptable (in most communities) to walk around without shoes (no shirt, no shoes, no service - you’ve seen the signs). Researchers who study this believe that shoes along with our modern dwellings have insulated us from the ground, preventing the transfer of essential electrons. According to science, we are missing a huge opportunity to heal ourselves. We are blocking a natural occurrence from happening. It’s called grounding. Grounding, also known as earthing, is the practice of reconnecting the human body with the earth. 

How does grounding work?

Grounding occurs when humans make an electrical connection to the earth’s energies. It may sound strange but it's simple science. We are bioelectrical beings that carry a positive charge which can build up in our bodies. Earth has a negative charge. When we make contact through grounding, we discharge our excess energy, producing a healing effect at a cellular level. 

Interested in trying it? Here are a few easy ways to get started:

The benefits of Grounding 

• Reduces inflammation - 90% of all of our chronic health conditions are linked to excessive or persistent inflammation. Grounding is one of the simplest ways to address that
• Improves sleep
• Decreases stress responses - It can help shift us from our sympathetic state to our parasympathetic state in our autonomic nervous system 
• Decreases pain
• Increases heart rate variability - The higher our heart rate variability is (the interbeat between heartbeats) the better our autonomic nervous system functions. This can be associated with better recovery, better emotional resilience and better overall well-being 
• Improves cortisol rhythm - cortisol is one of our key stress hormones 
• Improves wound healing - grounding is a great thing to include in an integrative approach to healing 

If you are skeptical about the benefits of grounding, it won’t hurt to give it a try! If being outside is not accessible due to your environment or weather, there are grounding mats that are available that can create a similar effect.