Earthing: the answer to a great night’s sleep

Are you looking for a sleep aid that’s natural, easy, enjoyable and free? It’s time you tried Earthing!

From relieving night-time pains and niggles, helping to stop snoring and calming an anxious mind, Earthing is the answer to a great night’s sleep.

What is Earthing?

Earthing – or Grounding as it is also called –  simply means having direct skin contact with the Earth and the understanding that doing so brings many health benefits, including a great night’s sleep.

Most of us carry a positive charge in our body thanks to a build-up of free radicals. Free radicals are important in the fight against disease and the healing process, but once their job is done the positively-charged free radicals need to be neutralised by negatively-charged electrons. If they are left to build-up, due to a lack of freely available negative electrons in our body, they ‘steal’ electrons from healthy tissue. This process causes inflammation in the body which can lead to pain or discomfort and sometimes serious health issues.

The most effective way of delivering electrons into the body is connecting to the negatively-charged Earth. However, due to our modern lifestyle, most of us are disconnected from the Earth. Our bodies are starved of electrons, and the result is inflammation in our bodies. Inflammation is now thought to be a significant factor in most chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, auto-immune disease and cancer.

Why do we need to be earthed?

As humanity has developed, we have become more and more disconnected from the Earth. Unlike our ancestors, most of us don’t work on the land, instead our workplace is more likely to be a high-rise concrete structure.

People rarely walk barefoot outside, particularly in urban areas, and instead they wear shoes with rubber or synthetic soles.  Inside our homes, our beds are raised, and most of us spend the night on a thick synthetic mattress.

There are many reasons that we are disconnected from the earth like never before, sometimes its safety, practicality or convenience.  But, whatever the reason it is easy to incorporate earthing back into your life.

How does Earthing help sleep?

One of the major health benefits of Earthing is improved sleep. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, it may be that the reason you can’t sleep or keep waking at night is caused by inflammation somewhere in the body. This can present itself in many ways, including any kind of pain or discomfort, snoring or breathing issues, or even waking up several times a night to use the bathroom. Earthing regularly or sleeping Earthed on an Earthing pad significantly reduces inflammation allowing your body to get the sleep it requires to rejuvenate, replenish and prepare for the day ahead.

Many people find it takes them a long time to fall asleep at night and they lay there staring into the darkness, their mind whirring with to-dos and what-ifs. This is often caused by high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which affects the body’s circadian rhythm and makes it difficult to drift off to sleep. Studies have shown that Earthing can stabilise the release of cortisol in the body and increase the release of melatonin, an important hormone that regulates sleep.

How do I start Earthing?

Earthing really is as easy as stepping outside, kicking off your shoes and having direct skin contact with the ground.

Grass and sand are ideal surfaces, and if they’re damp they are even more conductive, meaning a quicker, more efficient uptake of electrons. If you can do this every day, even for a short time, your body will thank you for it!  Plus, time outside can help to relax your mind and support your circadian rhythm.

Earthing is highly beneficial for kids as well. If you have children, make sure they are getting in contact with nature regularly. The best part of this is that, not only is it good for them, kids actually love it!

Earthing Products

There is also a range of indoor earthing products which allow you to Earth while you work, exercise, relax and sleep. Earthing sheets, sleeping bags or mats simply plug into the earth/ground port of your normal household socket to deliver the electrons from the Earth straight to you while you sleep.

Please note:  This article is not to be used as medical advice.  Always speak to a medical professional before any sleep treatment to ensure it’s right for you.   This post may contain affiliate links.