Grounding or also better known as “Earthing” can be a useful arsenal in your toolbox as an anti-inflammatory adjunct to diet and lifestyle techniques, to combat inflammation, stress and sleep deprivation. Grounding was considered “mystifying” for a long time stating that only “odd people” used this technique but the more we dive deeper into research, the more I’ve realized that I’ve personally missed out on this amazing tool into health.

 

Over the last decade, research has demonstrated that grounding has shown to reduce inflammation and pain, improve sleep, improve response to trauma and injuries and accelerate wound healing. Grounding has also shown to improve blood pressure, and blood viscosity in huge amounts although the cumulative effects of being in nature may have had an added part to play in both. Grounding’s research has been mainly in improving Heart Rate Variability, which then has a known on effect on all systems of the body.

 

Heart Rate variability (HRV) consists of changes in the time intervals between consecutive heart beats. Like all organs of the body, we see flexibility in the oscillations of the heart. The heart is an incredible yet diverse organ which innately has the potential to adjust to sudden physical and psychological challenges and then return back to homeostasis after the challenge is over. Your HRV reflects regulation of the autonomic balance, blood pressure, gas exchange in the lungs, gut, heart and vascular tone. HRV is one of the metrics on our apple watches and Oura ring which is highly sought after for improvements and researchers are always looking for new tools and gadgets which bring improvements in HRV. Improving HRV improves your body’s resilience, exercise capabilities, gut-brain axis and helps improve hormonal health. Most importantly a higher HRV improves sleep and this is why 10 minutes of meditation can have a profound effect on deep sleep as well. Regular meditation shows improvements in not only the grey matter of the brain but also improves the brain’s ability to access alpha and beta waves.

 

So, if there is anything else in your arsenal for calm besides meditation and breathwork, it might just be grounding. Grounding is having direct contact with the natural electromagnetic charge of the earth. This energetic phenomenon includes the Schumann Resonances. These Electromagnetic “vibrations” consist in the atmosphere as well as the surfaces of the earth. These vibrations are not uniform but vary from moment to moment in a rhythmic fashion which affects the electrons emitted from the earth’s surface. Studies have shown similarities in earth’s vibrations affecting individuals when there are natural calamities outside i.e. storms, torrential rains and typhoons. It is very interesting to know that being out in nature barefoot, can sync the earth’s vibrations to your body and bring about positive changes in your autonomic nervous system. 

 

I have to admit, this is one avenue I had never explored. I do know that when I’m out in nature, my serotonin levels are higher and my HRV gets better. On days, I am on my computer more, I feel depleted in both energy and my serotonin levels. Truly, it is the loss of our natural conductivity to the earth that has birthed such a rise in the 21st century ailments. My interest around grounding has been more with the reduction of cortisol and sleep since hypo and hyper cortislemia is implicated in so many cognitive related disorders. Stress and stress related impacts on mental health has been one of my biggest interests of life and I’m constantly looking for ways to effectively manipulate cortisol. The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) helps in lowering stress and thus, when I first heard of grounding improving PNS, I was immediately intrigued. In a study conducted in 28 individuals, 40 minutes of grounding showed statically significant increases in the Parasympathetic nervous system and vagal tone. This research has been performed many times over showing improvements in vagal tone and heart rate variability each time. Improvements in Parasympathetic tone also improves sleep, which then improves overall heart as we know it. Being in a state of Parasympathetic nervous system helps enable good gut health, improves digestion, and improves bile flow. This “Rest and Digest” part of the body is something we nutritionist are constantly talking about. Modern Day living has truly stripped us away from the simple things that can make a huge difference.

 

Other ways of grounding are swimming in lakes and seas, gardening, or just using grounding mats and devices. Some of the equipment out there is fancy but just spending 10 minutes outdoors barefoot can be a promising adjunct to the already amazing things you guys out there are implementing in your life. I know that this is one avenue of health, I will be exploring more in the coming months.