Grounding: How To Reduce Inflammation Effectively
What is chronic inflammation?
There are 2 types of inflammation, acute inflammation and chronic inflammation. Acute inflammation is an immune response to damage within the body, it aims to remove anything harmful to allow the body to heal as quickly as possible. This is good!
However, chronic inflammation is prolonged inflammation which can often last for months or years. It occurs because of the inability to repair the damage, almost like continuously fighting a losing battle.
Over time, this can cause more serious damage. According to the NCBI, chronic inflammatory diseases are the most significant cause of death in the world. Some of these diseases include Stroke, heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes and more.
It can also often be the culprit for problems such as constant fatigue, insomnia, anxiety and depression.
(Illustration from https://drjockers.com)
What Is Grounding?
Grounding, or often referred to as earthing, is the connecting to the earth’s natural electrical current with skin contact. This can be done by walking barefoot on the beach, grass, dirt, or even swimming in a lake. Any time you are touching the earth, you are grounded.
The health benefits of earthing are well documented with 21 research studies in peer-reviewed journals in areas from sleep, inflammation, pain, blood circulation, heart rate variability, mood and more.
What Happens To Inflammation When We Are Grounded?
When grounded, the body is receiving a constant flow of free electrons, which is considered nature’s most powerful antioxidant. This allows the body to quickly neutralise any positively charged free radicals and maintain balance within body - the hallmark of chronic inflammation.
With a constant flow of electrons, our body is able to knock down these excess free radicals so that the body can heal and repair naturally, as it is meant to. It is therefore imperative that we re-connect with this natural energy daily to maintain good health and counteract the damaging effects of modern living.
Here are 2 infrared images taken from a study, showing the before and after effects of earthing on inflammation:
How To Stay Grounded
Grounding for small amounts of time can be beneficial, but the longer you remain grounded, the greater the benefits are. Here are some of the best ways to stay grounded as much as possible:
Outside – The most obvious and the cheapest way to ground your body is to do it outside. The best place to go is the beach, because saltwater is an extremely good conductor. If you don’t have access to a beach, grassy areas are also very good. If it is covered in dew or rain water, this is even better.
Earthing Mat – These are great for staying grounded at your desk or at home. As you can imagine, offices generally have dangerous amounts of EMF’s which can be very damaging to your health. Earthing mats will allow you to mitigate that damage. Usually they are relatively small, which makes them easy to take to different locations.
Earthing Bed Sheet – Staying grounded while sleeping is probably the most effective and important times to stay grounded. There is also the issue of elevation – a study found that for every meter you are above the ground, 300 volts of charge will build up in your body which can increase your risk of health problems. In fact, one study found that there is a 40% increase in stroke risk among those who live in multi-storey homes (https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2318-9-17).
How To Make Your Own Earthing Sheet/Pad (step-by-step)
When it comes to earthing sheets there are two options; the first is to buy a ready made earthing sheet which you learn more about here (https://rowlandearthing.co.uk/pages/earthing-bed-sheet), or the second option is to make your own which we you can do by following the step by step guide below. There are a few different approaches you can take when making your own earthing sheet, but we feel that this is the easiest way to do it:
What you need:
- Metal screen wire mesh – Aluminium is most affordable and reasonably priced
- wiring/cable - Preferably copper
- Duct tape
- Metal rod/steak - Preferably copper
- An old sheet you don’t mind sacrificing
Making the sheet:
Step 1
Unravel the metal screen on top the old bed sheet and cut a piece that you feel is large enough for you to sleep fully or partially on (both will give you the benefits of grounding).
Step 2
Carefully strip a few inches of the copper wire so that you can see the copper and attach it to the corner of the metal screen that will be closest to the window, you can do this with duct tape.
Step 3
Next, tape the metal screen to the old sheet securely enough so that it won’t become loose during the night. Tape all four sides to avoid the discomfort of metal edges poking you in the night!
Step 4
Run the wire though your window and to the nearest point of soft ground, e.g. grass, dirt, sand etc.
Step 5
Strip a few inches of the wire covering to expose the copper and attach it to the metal rod with duct tape. Then you can press the rod into the ground.
Step 6
You can cover the mesh with another bed sheet or you can gain greater benefits by sleeping directly on it. The choice is yours!
There is the option to make or buy a plug that will only use the grounded port in the plug socket. If you would prefer to do it this way, there are many videos and instructional guides on the internet showing you how to do this.
Other Benefits Of Earthing
- Improves sleep quality
- Reduces Inflammation
- Increased Energy
- Relieves Stress And Anxiety
- Improved Immune Function
- Naturally thins the blood
- Improves recovery rate following strenuous activity
- Reduces chronic pain
To learn more about the science behind earthing, visit out science page: