How To Make A Grounding Mat

Caryatid yourselves, team. We're heading into the kind of territory that brings folk out of the woodwork to throw the usual cries of "only where's the vacuum-sealed, octo-blind, inreverse placebo, set-in-concrete scientifical written report that proves what you lot say beyond a doubt?!". Yes, today we're going to hash out earthing mats. Which audio similar something that a dude in fisherman pants and a child called Forest Pxyiee would try to sell you lot, right?

Photo by Toby Burrows — Photo past Toby Burrows

Absolutely I did first hear about the idea while I was living in Byron Bay. And it was a dude in fisherman pants who waxed lyrical about the it volition toting a chai. A few months dorsum, however, edifice biologist Nicole Bijlsma brought the thought and the mats upward again when she did a toxin audit on my home. She claims the mats will reduce trunk voltage created by the electrical fields around y'all, and are particularly good for those who take electric hypersensitivity (EHS). You can come across the video chats we did in my dwelling house here and here where nosotros discuss the various sources of electromagnetic fields in the business firm and the solutions you lot can put in place to minimise them.

In a (cracked?) nut the idea behind earthing, yet, is this:

The earth has a negative grounding charge. We humans build upward positive electrons (free radicals) from EMFs, Wi-Fi etc.

Connecting direct with the world equalizes things.

To earth is simply to walk barefoot on dirt or beach or grass. The effect is much similar grounding electrical outlets to forestall build up of positive electrical charge. Health benefits, calmness, good sleep ensue.

How to earth:

* Walk barefoot. While we used to connect via our bare anxiety, know we have a layer of rubber between u.s. and the globe, which insulates and prevents the grounding transfer. Go your shoes off and walk in a park on the grass or clay, or along a embankment.

* Walk on the beach. Wondered why you lot come dorsum from a beach stroll and so anchored and calm? Sand and common salt h2o are particularly conductive and earth u.s.a. even more than effectively.

* Use an earthing mat under your bed. This is what Nicole got me onto. An earthing mat, or canvass, is like a brusk undersheet that you place on summit of your bottom sheet (information technology needs peel contact to work), with a string that connects to a socket in the wall. The electrons from the earth will menstruum upwardly (regardless of whether your home is on the footing floor or the twelfth floor) through the ground wires and onto the mat, and earth you. While you slumber.

* Use an earthing mat under your computer. This is a pocket-size rubber mat connected to a wall socket. It works to the same principles above: Electrons will flow upward/through your building and onto the mat. Ergo, keeping yous grounded while you work.

What on earth does it do?

The claim is that grounding or earthing has a bunch of wellness benefits, including reducing inflammation (thus helping with auto-immune conditions), reducing chronic hurting, helping with jet lag, balancing out hormonal problems and most importantly to me, improving slumber by normalizing your biological cyclic rhythms. I kinda get it. On beach holidays I ever sleep amend. When I feel grounded and unfrazzled, I slumber better.

Where'southward the proof?

Yeah, yes, I tin hear the troll-y skeptics rumbling in the ranks. It appears there are a bunch of preliminary studies that have been done on the subject, which are outlined here. They're far from gold standard and the results are not conclusive. Simply, every bit I inquire often, are they ever? And can yous imagine earthing mat research getting a stack of funding?

I besides saw this on Wellness Mama's blog a while back. Thermographic imaging has been used to show how earthing tin affect inflammation. The image was taken of a woman who complained of stiffness and chronic pain. The outset picture was taken before earthing, and the second, after just 30 minutes of earthing. I tin't vouch for it'due south pristine scientific credentials. But I find it intriguing.

earthing How to Get Healthy While You Sleep

Does grounding work?

As ever with this kind of thing, I prefer to test things out for myself. The claims pertaining to inflammation and slumber were too enticing for me not to give the mats a crack. Patently it's a study of one. Yous draw your own conclusions.

The estimator mat: I identify it nether my anxiety while I work (with bare feet). Information technology'south hard to say if it's had a direct issue, just I can say that overall my inflammation has been improve the by few months. Coincidence? Hard to say when your health is a clusterfuck of symptoms. I try not to get too fastened to devices like this, too attached to a miraculous upshot. I remember I'm going to pass it on to friends to see if they can notice a discernible effect (and meantime I'll observe if there'due south a negative outcome from not having it under my feet).

The bed mat: I've had the canvass on my bed for two months now. Every bit I've written before, I've been having terrible sleep issues lately, due to a range of factors. Feeling frazzled with pent up "positive electric free energy" ain't my only effect. Still, since using the mat I have been waking with less pain in my legs from the inflammation. I tested things by removing the mat for two weeks: the achy pain returned. As well, I've had less cramps and restless legs during the night.

Sitting in dirt: I try to meditate outside most mornings (at the terminate of my walk dorsum from the pool, or later 1 of my bushruns or at the end of a frenetic day) and sit down on a rock or sand or a lawn in a nearby park. I've always intuitively done this – it makes for a more focused meditation. Since being exposed to this thinking, though, I've been enlightened of getting my shoes off more often. And getting to the beach at least twice a week. I tin can tell you that doing so categorically works for me. Try the mats. Or go to a beach.

If yous're interested in learning more than, yous can purchase both mats in Commonwealth of australia, likewise every bit the definitive volume on topic, Earthing: The About Important Health Discovery Always?, via Earthing Oz. The computer mats start from $59.95.

I've written this post to get feedback and thoughts from anyone who's tried something similar…care to share your results or whatsoever other reading on the topic?