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Grounding, also called earthing, is a technique some people use to connect their physical bodies to the earth's electrical energy.1 Planet Earth has a negative electric charge. Some scientists theorize that there is a transfer of free electrons to the human body during grounding.2

This electrical conduction may lead to various physical effects, including pain reduction, changes in immune response, wound healing, effects on inflammation, and possible prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammatory conditions.1

In this article, learn more about grounding, including how to perform grounding exercises and the health benefits of grounding.

Image of a woman walking barefoot in a field.
 Carolin Voelker / Getty Images.

Grounding Techniques 

To many people, the idea of grounding, or earthing, may sound unusual. Or, if you're interested, you may wonder how exactly to ground yourself. There are multiple ways to perform grounding.

Grounding exercises include standing or walking barefoot or pressing your bare hands into the grass or dirt.

However, in modern Western society, it is not often that people want to or are able to walk outside barefoot unless they're at the beach. As a solution, grounding tools have been developed to provide the same electrical conduction as biological grounding. These include specialized:1

  • Mats
  • Wrist or ankle bands
  • Sheets
  • Adhesive patches
  • Footwear

To work, these tools are typically connected to the earth by a cord attached to a grounded electrical wall outlet or a rod pressed directly into the soil.

Where to Go: How Do You Ground Yourself Outside?

The goal of grounding is to restore an electrical connection with the earth. This connection is believed to have been lost in our modern industrial society, in which people spend most of their time wearing shoes with rubber soles or living indoors.2

To practice grounding outdoors, you must ensure that your bare skin makes direct contact with the earth, which means taking off your shoes and socks.

Ways to practice grounding outdoors include:

  • Routinely walking barefoot outdoors on dirt, grass, or sand
  • Standing in humid dirt or sand with bare feet
  • Pressing your bare hands into the grass or earth
  • Sitting on a chair, bench, or wheelchair with your bare feet set flat on the earth
  • Lying flat on the dirt, grass, sand, or gravel with your back, legs, or arms bare
  • Submerging yourself in a natural body of water, such as swimming in a pond, lake, or ocean
  • Gardening with your bare hands in the soil

If you have a yard, you may prefer to practice earthing in the privacy of your property. Or, you may visit a park or woodland trail or swim at a public beach. In some countries, there are even barefoot parks.3

If you are uncomfortable walking in public without shoes, consider bringing a small bag to store your shoes after you walk to a private spot where you can take your shoes off.

Grounding Indoors: Pros and Cons

You can practice grounding indoors with specialized tools. Unlike walking barefoot, some (but not all) of these tools have associated costs. However, using these tools can make a routine grounding practice more accessible and convenient for some people. This is because they can be worn inside shoes, on the ankles or wrists during the day, or slept on at night.

Benefits of Grounding 

Grounding and its health benefits have existed for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine, Aboriginal cultures, and Indigenous communities. In the 1800s, well-known German scientists began proposing walking barefoot for health benefits.3 Today, grounding examples of grounding can be found across TikTok, YouTube, and other popular forms of social media.

Beyond legend and anecdotal evidence, a growing body of research supports and explores the physiological effects and possible health benefits of grounding.

Some health benefits of grounding that have been studied include:124

  • Improved mood56
  • Increased heart rate variability
  • Improved blood flow
  • Improved immune system function (particularly the concentrations of white blood cells and cytokines)
  • Reduced post-exertion muscle soreness
  • Reduced pain
  • Improved sleep quality (deeper and more restorative sleep)
  • Boosted metabolic rate
  • Reduced inflammation
  • Reduced autoimmune signaling
  • Disease prevention (particularly inflammatory and autoimmune conditions)
  • Reduced stress
  • Improved wound healing
  • Improved physical function and energy5
  • Decreased fatigue and tiredness5

Most of the emerging research around grounding is of low quality. This doesn't mean this research should be ignored or that grounding has no merit. It just means that the studies often enrolled small numbers of participants, participants may have experienced placebo effects (a positive outcome in a person anticipating that a treatment will work) or bias, or a control group of non-grounding subjects was not included in the study for comparison.

Perhaps as earthing gains recognition, the research to explore its health benefits will also advance.

The Spiritual Aspect of Grounding

Many people report on the spiritual aspect of grounding, including feelings of peace, meditation, and contentment after a grounding session. Often, grounding is seen as a way to connect to Mother Earth or a greater force and to return internally to a simpler way of life that was lived in a more synchronous pattern with our planet.

 Spending More Time in Nature Can Help You Feel Better About Your Body

How Long to Practice Grounding 

There is not enough research on grounding to offer a clinical guideline on how long to practice grounding for certain health benefits.

In the 1800s, Sebastian Kneipp—a German priest and originator of the naturopathic movement (using natural remedies to self-heal—advised adherents to walk barefoot in nature three times each day.3

Some research shows significant effects from grounding on pain and inflammation after just 30 minutes.2

The general consensus is that you may feel some health benefits (such as improved mood and energy) within one session of grounding, but consistent practice for as many days as possible throughout a lifetime is ideal.

For many people, grounding is a long-term practice that becomes a part of their lifestyle rather than a short-term solution.

Summary

Grounding is an ancient practice in which the body is directly connected to the earth's surface and experiences electrical conduction due to the Earth's natural negative electric charge. Putting the body in this state is believed to lead to physical effects— and possible health benefits—such as improved sleep, altered immune function, reduction in inflammation, improved mood, reduced pain and soreness, and more.