My Experience with Grounding/Earthing

in #story2 months ago (edited)

Years ago a friend of ours introduced my wife and I to the concept of grounding. If you’ve never heard of it grounding, also known as earthing, is the practice of connecting with the Earth's electrical energy by walking barefoot outdoors, sitting, or sleeping grounded indoors using grounding devices.

This particular friend of ours, Romeo, is a self-described renaissance man. He has a lot of different interests and tends to take a D.I.Y. approach to all of them. He made a grounding device using a lightning rod sunk into the ground, copper wire that led from that rod to metal tape attached to his mattress and arranged in a grid pattern. He swore that sleeping grounded each night reduced his pain and inflammation and allowed him to achieve a significantly better night’s sleep.

Fast forward to 2024. My wife and I are getting older and realize the dire state our medical system is in here in the United States. As I approach my mid-fifties (that still seems weird to think about) I’m trying to be as proactive as I can with my health and overall well-being. I want to limit my reliance upon our broken healthcare system and try to escape the plethora of pharmaceutical drugs that most of our doctors love to push on their patients.

In a warmer climate all I’d have to do is walk barefoot on the grass to achieve the benefits. In places like Minnesota we need to buy devices to help us out because there’s this thing called frostbite. WTH do I live here again?

After doing a ton of research I ordered a grounding sheet from a company called Grounding Well. The research I did on the products recommended that you buy a grounding device continuity tester because, apparently, there are fake grounding/earthing products out there. Thankfully, the tester showed the sheet was legit and conducting while plugged into the wall socket.

Some of the reported benefits of grounding are as follows:

  1. Reduced Inflammation: Some studies suggest that grounding may help reduce inflammation in the body by neutralizing excess positive electrons (free radicals) through direct contact with the Earth's surface.

  2. Improved Sleep: Grounding has been associated with better sleep quality and duration. It may help regulate circadian rhythms and reduce cortisol levels, promoting more restful sleep.

  3. Stress Reduction: Grounding techniques may help lower stress levels by balancing the body's electrical system and promoting relaxation.

  4. Pain Relief: There is some evidence to suggest that grounding may alleviate chronic pain and improve pain management by reducing inflammation and promoting better circulation.

  5. Enhanced Well-being: Many individuals report feeling more grounded, centered, and connected to nature after practicing grounding techniques regularly. This sense of well-being may result from the calming effect grounding has on the nervous system.

  6. Improved Energy Levels: Some proponents of grounding suggest that it can boost energy levels and vitality by restoring the body's natural electrical balance and improving overall health.


After four full nights of sleeping grounded I can attest to a shockingly better night’s sleep. Admittedly, I rarely have trouble sleeping but after the first night of using the grounding sheet I woke up as refreshed as I remember being when I was a young boy. I'm sleeping like a six year old again.

Remember that blissful, super deep sleep you used to get after playing outside all day during summer vacation as a child? During those 1970’s sunny summer mornings I remember waking up somewhat foggy but refreshed, so relaxed that my limbs felt slightly tingly. That’s exactly how I’ve felt the past four mornings. We’ll see if any more of the reported benefits materialize over time.

The improvement in sleep alone makes the $99 price worth it to me, life has felt a little bit better because of it. I suppose, anything else will just be a bonus. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a grounding device, I've seen highly rated grounding mats on Amazon for just over $20.

In my annual New Year’s Eve post last year, “What Do You Want to Do Differently?” I wrote, 2024 WILL BE A YEAR OF GROUNDING FOR ME, of getting back to basics….

It just dawned on me after writing this post this morning that I wrote those words in the cold, dark, and waning hours of 2023. After realizing this I couldn’t help but laugh and feel a little more in awe of this amazing universe we live in.

Here’s a short video about the practice of grounding if you'd like to learn more.

I guess to heal, sometimes, all you need is a closer relationship with your Mother (Earth, that is).

All for now. Thank you for reading!

~Eric Vance Walton~

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This is really interesting. We in the South or souther hemisphere nearish to the equator never have the problem of winter weather being too cold. Some days are really cold, but others make up for the odd days you do not want to go outside. But for the most part of my waking days I am barefoot walking on the grass, walking in the garden, doing odd jobs outside while I can. I think I would never have finished my master's degree and nor would I have gotten to where I currently am with my PhD if it was not for the brief moments I "ground" myself in my garden, bending down to appreciate the new growth, harvesting different herbs for my wild herb salads.

My dad told me about grounding many years ago, before I even started my studies. But the word stuck with me, as I continually went outside, sat on the grass, feeling the energy exchange from the earth and my body. There is something to this for sure...

Thanks for sharing your experience though! Always interesting to hear from others with similar experiences, and also radically different ones!

I was a little skeptical until I tried it myself. The feeling I get from grounding is reminiscent of that relaxing feeling you get after a day at the beach. I had always assumed it was the salt air that prompted it but now I think a majority of it is from the grounding itself.

It would be amazing to live in a warm climate and to be able to walk barefoot at any time. I'm glad you were aware enough to realize how much this helped you get through that stressful time in your studies.

You're welcome! I appreciate your comment. Enjoy the week!

I really like the analogy from the beach. It really feels like that.

I had always assumed it was the salt air that prompted it

There is something else to note from the beach as well though. Also very "fringe" science, but apparently with rolling waters and places where there is "movement" (e.g., waterfalls, flowing rivers, winds, etc.) there is apparently electricity in the air that might affect our moods and whole being. I haven't read much about it, here is a short article if you haven't heard about it. But how I heard about it was that people asked the question, why did people who built cities and so on gravitate towards beaches and places we associate with wonder? I digress!

I hope that you might one day experience living in such a place. We here take it for granted sometimes, spending too much time indoors when things get busy. I always remind myself to at least spend 30 minutes outside.

Have a splendid week!

I know the ocean is very therapeutic. I always feel like a million bucks when we spend time at the beach. We've spent close to a week in the Caribbean before and was searching for properties about three days into the stay. : ) Some day soon, I hope. Thank you! I hope you enjoy your week as well.

For sure! I think the beach lifestyle is superior. My father has a small property in a beach town, and when we go there we always walk for kilometres next to the ocean. We always feel ready for life's challenges when we get back. Until we need a recharge, then we go back.

Hello, @ericvancewalton

Reading you, I realize how lucky I am, living in the tropics. Despite living in a mountainous area, I could always come down and take off my shoes to reconnect with the earth. However, I also realize how stupid it is to waste this blessing. So, I will try to be wiser and act on it.

Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

That would be so great to live in a mild climate but I can imagine you get used to it after a while. My parents lived in Florida for a while and I remember them saying that after a few years they missed the change of seasons. You're welcome!

Hope you won't have a bag full of medicines in your hand for a long time ;)

Thank you! That's exactly what we're trying to prevent.

I know. I said it as it is a common picture here. I wish the same for myself :)

Absolutely, I wish you the same!

Finding natural ways to advance ones health pays back massive dividends.

Living in a warm climate walking barefoot is a daily bonus, keeping ones eyes open for bees about the biggest hazard !LOLZ

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At dive bars.

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I think so too. Every healthy practice is like putting a few dollars into a savings account that you can draw from later.

Very nice! I wish we had that option. I have stepped on a bee while barefoot and can attest that it's no fun at all. : ) I've had one fly into my mouth and sting me on my tongue while riding a bike too (seriously), that was even worse. Lol.

Weeds in lawn have dainty small flowers the bees love, tread carefully. Swallowing in a bee no fun at all, I can but imagine !LOLZ

My friend got a heart transplant but regretted it immediately.
You could say he had a change of heart.

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Yes, here it's the clover! I was eight years old and my parents said I sounded like a police siren coming down the street. : )

Ouch never pleasant, bet a week later you were out again running around bare feet.

More like the next day. : ) I didn't ride with my mouth open anymore though. Lol.

Had a Great Dane cross Rhodesian Ridgeback dog, always bad reaction to bee stings swelling up, rushed him to Vet who said not much can be done except frighten the life out of me.....

The effort a person should make is not to use too much medicine and it is better that when we eat good and healthy food and take care of our walk, the hope is that our health will also be good.

Thank you! I wish the same for you and your family!

Most welcome dear ❤️.

Ive seen some Youtube vids about grounding. I much appreciate your report!

Glad you enjoyed it! There's quite a lot of content out there about this, I had no idea until recently.

The improvement in your sleep pleasant after just four nights of grounding is high-quality. It's awesome how something as basic as connecting with the Earth's power may have such profound effects on our properly-being.
Your description of waking up feeling refreshed and relaxed rings a bell in my memory of the carefree days of youth. It's heartwarming to hear that grounding has helped you recapture that feeling.

It was surprising to me and I thought I slept good before! Since the advent of rubber soled shoes it seems we've been cut off from our life-line.

It just dawned on me after writing this post this morning that I wrote those words in the cold, dark, and waning hours of 2023. After realizing this I couldn’t help but laugh and feel a little more in awe of this amazing universe we live in.

I'd be tempted to call this synchronicity. Jung had a story about a time when he was working on the symbol of fish and the next day he kept encountering fish motifs around the house. This grounding bedsheet sounds interesting.

I think so too. : ) It's fun to experiment with synchronicity. I remember when that bestseller, The Secret, was published decades ago. After I read the book I really experimented a lot with the concept. It's quite interesting to play around with. Whenever I notice it happening I can't help but smile.

Going on a full week of sleeping on this sheet now and I'm a true believer. Placebo effect or not it's helping. I just can't believe how rested I feel, I'm much less tired at the end of the day too. Hope you're well!

They are always keen to push the meds on you but have little time for anything else. That's one thing I love about summer is getting barefoot in the grass. Hope it works well for ya!

We had a nurse tell us how much the medical education/training had changed in the fifty years she was on the job. She said when she was in school you were trained to actually diagnose systemic causes but for the past thirty or so years she said many times medical staff just determine which drugs best lessen the symptoms. It really frustrated her. Thanks! I wish we had more of a chance to walk in the grass during our brief summers, thankfully we have access to these other devices.

I've been sleeping very poorly recently. Using a sound machine for the first hour, and a homeopathic remedy just before turning off my light, have both helped considerably, but I still wake once or twice during the night. I'm gonna try this mat and see if I can finally regain the full nights of uninterrupted sleep I could get not all that long ago. I wonder why I can't sleep now though. It started around six months ago

So many people are reporting sleep trouble these days! I would recommend the grounding sheet over the rubber mats for sleep. The rubber mat we bought will work in a pinch and for travel but has a strong smell to it. This might lessen over time but I'm not sure. I hope this helps you! If you try it please let me know what you think.

It seems like the practice of grounding can cure various illnesses. Hopefully you will become healthier by practicing this treatment method. In my area, people try to cure joint pain and rheumatism by walking barefoot on small pebbles so that the soles of their feet feel like they are being massaged. Have a nice day Eric.

I've heard walking on pebbles is beneficial too! Thank you Eliana. I hope you enjoy your week!

How great that you found this grounding sheet, you will undoubtedly have very good results.

In the city where I live we do not need this type of device, there are many places near home to walk barefoot, do tree hugging therapy which is very good, another thing we do is walk in the sand on the beach at night, when there is no no one to interrupt your peace of mind

Enjoy this grounding sheet a lot.
Have a happy start to the week

That is awesome! I have to admit, you guys in the Southern Hemisphere are making me jealous. Lol. I appreciate it my friend. Have a wonderful week!

Grounding looks as if this type of simple idea but the blessings are really astounding. It's high-quality how reconnecting with the Earth's energy will have this type of advantageous effect on our health and nicely-being.

Yes, it's deceptively simple and apparently pretty vital to human health.

I've heard about grounding before, however I in no way realized the quantity of its blessings till analyzing this put up. It's inspiring to peer how proactive you are approximately your fitness, mainly in modern-day scientific weather.

It's important for me to be proactive. I feel so much better when I live a healthy lifestyle.

Now a days I'm also having some studies stress it's useful for me. Thanks for information

You're welcome! We got this one too for traveling. We used the continuity tester on it and it's legit.

We're very fortunate here living in a mild climate, plus living in a house with a large garden, I feel blessed that I'm able to walk around barefoot.
I've heard of grounding but never really looked into it, so thank you for the informative blog, and for sharing that link!
I'm very interested in getting a grounding bed sheet and see they're available in many local online stores.

You're welcome! If you end up getting one please tell me how it works out for you. I posted a link to this blog on Facebook and was surprised at how many people experienced positive results!

There are so many advantages to living in mild climates! When we owned a home it was so much easier to get out into the yard and go barefoot during our brief summers.

Romeo's selfmade grounding device sounds modern! It's extremely good to look humans taking a DIY technique to health and locating solutions that paintings for them.

Romeo is an amazing dude. I don't think there's much he can't do.

@tipu curate 3

That's pretty cool. I didn't realize they made devices like that. I usually get my grounding in during the summer when we are camping. I've noticed that I wake up and my whole body is sore lately though, so maybe I need it all the time!

We were just turned on to all this ourselves. When Romeo originally told us about it we weren't aware that products were commercially available. Camping is a great way to ground. I always feel good after being in the wilderness, especially sleeping outdoors.

I have one foot that is kind of messed up and my whenever my wife sees me walking around bare foot she always says that's how your foot got messed up! Even though it really isn't!

You can tell her that walking barefoot is probably helping it to heal! : )

This is so interesting, I have never heard of grounding before. On a side note, last night I went to a sound bath activity which was interesting. Laying on a mat with pillows and a blanket in the dark and listening to cool different sounds. My older brother (52) is way into health and wellness and longevity. So I learned a bit of that stuff from him.

I've heard of a sound bath but have never tried it. How did it work for you?

Have you ever tried Binaural Beats? Listening to these tracks with headphones on can really take you to another place.

It was an interesting experience it was a class of like 75 people. My friends who have done it before told me it is a much better experience in a much smaller group. It was relaxing, but I didn't feel as much as I think you can if done in a better environment. No I haven't! But one of my friends who was also there said he listens to that kind of stuff to help him fall asleep. I don't usually have trouble sleeping at home in my bed. Now when traveling or camping that is a different story lol.

That sounds very interesting. Once you start exploring these alternative healing methods it exposes you to a whole new way of life. Another thing I try to do on a regular basis is a sensory deprivation float tank.

Yeah, I bet! I have heard of the sensory deprivation float tanks but have never tried one.

That sounds like a good investment :) I hope it will help you for a long time to come 🙏

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So far it has been! Thank you, I appreciate it!

You could start spending all day outside playing again. The concept of the sheet is a little difficult to grasp. So it's an electrical device that stops electricity from going into you and disturbing your sleep? That's what I got from the website.

Good health to you both! :)

Whatever it is, I think you and your wife are on the right track. The less interactions you have with the medical system, the better, methinks. Certainly seems like an improvement (and a preferable alternative to any sleeping medication) :)

I like that idea! I wish it was possible where we live. : ) I've often thought that outdoor playgrounds for adults should be a thing.

I think the grounding works a little differently in the human body than it does with electric devices plugged into the wall. Grounding, in the case of appliances/electronics creates a direct path for excess electrical current to flow to the earth instead of through the electrical device or equipment. In relation to the body, it uses the contact with the Earth's natural electric charge to stabilize the physiology of the human body. Here's some good info. It seems like electric devices use the pathway into the Earth and the human body uses the current from the Earth.

Thank you Catrina! I hope you have a wonderful week!

Oh okay, gotcha. That makes more sense. :) You too, Eric!

I just hope Iightning never strikes when I'm laying on this grounding sheet! Lol.

I've heard about this concept for a while and tbh I'm very skeptical, but I'm ticking your experience into my 'maybe' box. What do you think the chances are of it being a placebo?

There’s always a chance of that, the mind is powerful. I can say that I’ve gotten more restful sleep using this than I get if I take 5mg of indica. What I’ve found is there are some fairly decent peer reviewed studies supporting the benefits. You won’t find them in the mainstream though because if the benefits are real it would upset Big Pharma’s applecart in a major way. The sheet was $99 but there are devices that are far less expensive on Amazon.

There should be regulations that will help us deal with our world and globe so as to help us stay protected from adverse effect concerning our health

So often it's the regulations that keep us unhealthy and make us more sick. There are so many answers/solutions in nature. It's really incredible.

Grounding has a lot of health benefit and It’s a good thing you considered it. I am glad you sleep better now. Keep grounding!

I definitely will keep it up. Thanks!

I really liked this post, especially since I had never heard of a "grounding sheet" before. I know about the benefits of walking barefoot on the earth, in fact I usually practice walking along the sea, walking on the warm sand, but I never imagined that there was something that could relax us so much as to sleep like a baby. In the last few days I have slept very little, my cortisol levels must be at a thousand, but I have taken infusions of cayenne flower, also of ginger, turmeric and pepper and I have been able to rest a little. Anything that allows us to cope with life's bumps in the road is appreciated and welcome. A hug

Thank you Nancy! The sea is the ultimate healer, isn't it? I would love to spend a few months by the ocean. I'm sorry you've been stressed! Chamomile and lavender tea can help with cortisol too. I hope you feel better soon!

I remember grounding was a big buzz word in the alt-health community about 20 years ago. Hmm.. 25 years ago. Sometime before I moved to Japan anyway. I've always liked the idea. Even if all the results people see are placebo, I still just like the idea of being more in connection with mother earth. But I've always had a bit of that animism ideology—touching and talking to trees, and all that. Anyway, since then I've always walked barefoot outside so hopefully I get some benefit from that. We sleep on the floor here, so I'm not sure how I could do something like what you are, but it is an interesting idea to explore. Anyway, I'm glad to hear it's working out for you!

I don't remember hearing about grounding back then but I was so busy with life I'm sure so many things passed unnoticed. Contact with nature, in any form, has its benefits. Sometimes when I felt overwhelmed I would take our beagle for a walk in the woods and would always feel instantly better. They have grounding top sheets available as well, that might work for sleeping on the floor. Thank you!

I almost live in nature, so I presume that I am well grounded !LOL

The other day I snuck into the local zoo and spotted an albino Cheetah
It was the least I could do for him.

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That's perfect! I bet you are grounded. : )

Thank you, but it's a struggle with very low iron levels, and other surprises that ageing does. !LOL

Why does a Moon rock taste better than an Earth rock?
It's a little meteor

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Aging is definitely quite the adventure and not for the weary.

A tricky business this thing called aging is !LOLZ

What do you call a guy who’s had too much to drink?
A cab.

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It sure is! ; )

Just read some articles about grounding. The impact of grounding also on the immune response is amazing, and further research is required to understand how it might affect the immune system. Regarding wound healing, grounding has been explored for its potential to enhance the healing process, but research is still in the early stages.

Yes, the grounding research being done over these past few years is getting better. You can find a few convincing studies. It seems like much of the positive results of this have been suppressed or smeared by the conventional medical establishment. They don't want anything cutting into the profits of Big Pharma.

Never heard of this but from the look of things it really have a positive impact to benefit from.

It's been pretty amazing for me.

Great information!! The wife and I “ground” every chance we get…. It’s wonderful

I'm noticing the benefits every time I use the sheet. I really think having it on the bed is a good way to go. It takes the thinking/planning out of the equation.

That device you mentioned about, I mean the grounding testing device, I don't think it is yet available to all part of the world right? I mean most especially Nigeria

I'm not sure if this would be available in Nigeria or not. Google should read your location though and tell you if the products are available.

Using natural things to help us stay healthy is the best because you get to feel how natural everything around you is and it improves your longevity

I like how many of the natural remedies don't have side effects.

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