6 Questions Answered About Grounding Mats

How does a grounding mat work?

Debra Rose Wilson: A grounding mat is meant to replace the direct contact with the earth that we would get if we walked barefoot. In current Western culture, we seldom walk barefoot outside.

The earth’s surface has a negative electric charge, and when it comes in contact with human tissue, there is an equalization. The body can take on extra electrons and build up a static electric charge. This is called the Earthing hypothesis.

A grounding mat mimics the electric current of the earth and allows a person to bring the experience into a home or office. Most of the biochemical reactions in the body involve electron transfer.

That said, this isn’t for everyone. There is the potential danger of drawing current from other sources, so be aware of unground electrical sources near you. This could cause a potentially dangerous electrical shock.

Debra Sullivan: Grounding or earthing mats create an electrical connection between your body and the earth. The idea is to replicate the physical connectivity one would make by walking barefoot on the ground. This connection allows electrons to flow from the earth and into your body to create a neutral electrical charge.

Since humans spend the majority of time either indoors or wearing rubber-soled shoes outdoors, we barely spend time having physical contact with the earth. These mats allow for this connection when indoors and re-creates that equilibrium of electron charge.

Grounding mats are meant to bring a connection to earth indoors. The mats usually connect via a wire to the ground port of an electrical outlet. The mats may be placed on the floor, on a desk, or on a bed so the user can put their bare feet, hands, or body on the mat and conduct the earth’s energy

Is it important for health to walk on natural surfaces such as grass and dirt?

DRW: Being out in nature has multiple health benefits in itself. People report a great sense of well-being when they walk barefoot. There have been reports on improvement in blood glucose, osteoporosis, immune function, blood flow, and stress reduction.

Reduction in inflammation has been measured as have the benefits to muscle recovery from exerciseTrusted Source and platelet counts.

DS: As research continues to show that grounding has positive impacts on the human body, it is understandable that walking on natural surfaces while barefoot would be beneficial. However, there is a reason we created shoes to protect our feet, so use caution when walking barefoot.

It is possible to walk on grass and dirt and create an electrical connection while wearing shoes. It will, however, require finding leather soled shoes or specially designed grounding shoes.

Does the body’s electric current correspond to stress level?

DRW: From a holistic perspective, everything effects everything. When we are stressed, we enter a state of unbalance. Changes occur at a cellular level.

DS: While I was unable to find evidence of electric currents corresponding to elevated stress levels, this review shows that when a grounding mat was used during sleep, it lowered stress levels.

That said, more research will need to be conducted to show whether or not those are correlated.

Is there any solid research on grounding mats?

DRW: There is mounting evidence of the benefits of grounding mats. There are implications for sleep, biological clocks and rhythms, and hormone secretion.

It is well understood how electrons from antioxidants deactivate free radicals. We know these free radicals play a role in immune function, inflammation, and chronic disease.

A 2011 publication reported four different experiments examining grounding and its effect on human physiology. Electrolytes, thyroid hormone levels, glucose levels, and even immune response to immunizations improved with grounding.

Walking barefoot outside — weather and ground surface permitting — does have benefits, and those benefits transfer to grounding mats. Grounding mats are often used in these studies.

I am looking forward to seeing more research and, in the meantime, I encourage you to walk barefoot and mindfully set aside your stress.

DS: Research on grounding or earthing does show solid evidence of increasing your overall health through better sleep or lower inflammation or even better blood flow.

This research is typically done while a subject is sleeping, but some effects were even measured while subjects were awake. It took as little as an hour to make an impact.

Can grounding therapy help with anxiety and depression? Autism? Alzheimer’s?

DRW: There has not been enough research to speak to autism and Alzheimer’s, but theoretically, anyone would benefit from connecting with the earth. The stress reduction of walking barefoot, interacting with nature, and mindfully walking will benefit your health.

For those with anxiety and depression, actively interacting with nature, exercising, and being mindful of the moment are all well studied approaches to moving through these conditions. A 2015 study found mood was improved after an hour of grounding.

More studies are needed before we can understand the impact, but, in the meantime, it can’t hurt.

DS: Anxiety can manifest itself in many ways, but one of these is due to lack of sleep caused by insomnia. Grounding while sleeping has been shown to help regulate sleep and provide a subjectively better night’s rest.

Since insomnia is also shown to relate to depression and dementia, ground therapy has potential to help with those issues as well.

DRW: There have been measured positive effects of using grounding to enhance the depth and length of sleep, reducing pain, and reducing stress.

One of the first studies on this came out in 2004 and found that grounding improved sleep and reduced cortisol levels, a stress hormone.

DS: Approximately 30 percent of the American population experiences sleep disruptions.

Grounding has been shown to help with every aspect of the sleeping process: improved morning fatigue, less nighttime pain, higher daytime energy, decreased cortisol levels, and falling asleep faster.