Is the health practice of grounding sold by snake oil salesmen, or is it rooted in science? Dietitian Lucy Carey finds out.
“Where are Daddy’s crocs?” My son asked, searching fruitlessly for the pair of old crocs we leave outside the back door.
“Not sure but you don’t need them anyway. Get the feijoas in your bare feet because – “
“It’s good for me, I know. Grounding.” He did a phenomenal eye roll and proceeded to gather feijoas in his bare feet. My heart swelled and I joined him.
I know it sounds a little insane – walk barefoot on the Earth’s natural surface to get health benefits. I thought so too, when I first heard of it. But I’m now a convert to the practice of grounding. And I’ll tell you why…
Conductors and electrical devices are connected to the Earth for safety. If there is a surge of electricity, it won’t leap out of the wires, but instead go into the Earth. Being grounded makes electrical devices safer. Healthier.
Grounding (also called Earthing) for people is much the same process – connecting your body to the ground.
This could be walking barefoot, or lying on the ground, or running your fingers through the sand at the beach. Whatever, it is, it grounds you to the Earth.
The idea behind it is that the Earth itself has a slight negative charge, with free electrons on its surface. Direct contact transfers some of these electrons to the human body.
Why is this important? Well, free radicals in the body are pesky little molecules that can lead to cell damage if the body can’t neutralise them. If negative electrons from the Earth can neutralise these free radicals, the result would be less inflammation and less pain – an antioxidant effect. And indeed, small research studies show this is exactly what happens.
While research studies are still a bit scarce, grounding also appears to increase blood flow with a sort of blood-thinning effect. This could mean potentially less cardiovascular disease and even lower blood pressure. It also has a calming effect, improving heart rate variability, reducing the stress hormone cortisol and improving vagal tone, as well as improving sleep and mood.
And the best part? Unlike other lifestyle changes, grounding requires barely any effort at all. While there are some products you can purchase to ground your bed, etc., I of course favour the most natural path – taking my shoes off. I can easily hang the washing out in bare feet, and I am blessed to live close to the beach, providing a perfect barefoot opportunity.
Our modern lives have disconnected us from the Earth. We spend a lot of time indoors, and when we do get outside we are more likely than not wearing shoes with rubber soles (a non-conductive material). We spend less time in nature, we get less fresh air, we sit under artificial lights day and night. Even from one generation to the next, we have changed. I spent a huge portion of my childhood running outside barefoot and so did all the other children I knew, but today shoes are the norm.
We already know that getting outside is going to benefit our health (entraining our circadian rhythm so we sleep better among other things), so why not take our shoes off at the same time and garner a whole host of other benefits?
And even if larger studies end up disproving these smaller ones, I would still practice grounding for one reason: it feels freaking amazing. So while my son may roll his eyes when I get him to play in the backyard without any footwear, I’ll continue to insist that he do so.