Are There Any Side Effects of Grounding?

Grounding, or earthing, is connecting your body to the Earth's surface. Doing this has become a popular trend recently, but is it considered safe? Understanding the potential side effects of earthing is essential for making an informed decision about whether or not you should start your grounding journey. Here, we'll explain how grounding works, what side effects to expect, and how to practice it safely.

Key takeaways:

What is grounding and how does it work?

The Earth plays an important role in keeping electrical systems safe. All modern electrical installations — large electrical grids and power plants, houses, buildings, factories, and appliances powered by electricity — are all grounded to the Earth to maintain their stability and security.

Likewise, it is hypothesized that grounding may make the body more stable, potentially promoting well-being. But the truth is that people these days have become largely disconnected from the Earth — they no longer sleep on the floor, rarely go barefoot, and wear shoes with synthetic insulating soles.

Some scientists believe this can lead to electrical imbalances, static electricity build-up, and electron deficiencies in the body, which can make us more vulnerable to diseases.

Some people believe that practicing grounding may help us avoid these problems since the Earth's surface has a natural negative electric charge. Emerging research suggests that grounding or earthing helps transfer these electrons to our bodies, potentially promoting various health benefits. However, further research studies are needed to support these health claims.

Potential side effects of grounding

Grounding techniques are generally considered safe for most people. However, it's important to be aware of some safety risks before you begin.

Some individuals might experience mild side effects caused by being outdoors, such as injuries and infections.

Have you tried grounding and noticed any unpleasant side effects? Share your experience in the comments section!

Infographic showing potential side effects of grounding

Allergic reaction

Walking barefoot outdoors is perfect for relaxing and can bring you various health benefits. But if you're an allergic person, grounding might not be the best option for you as being outside increases your exposure to potential allergens.

Depending on where you decide to venture into grounding, you may have not-so-pleasant encounters with insects like bees and wasps, and some people are severely allergic to them. Grounding barefoot may increase the risk of stepping on them and lead to allergic reactions in some individuals.

Infection risk

We wear shoes for obvious reasons — to protect our feet. Sometimes, walking barefoot outdoors is not such a great idea.

You can step on things like stones, branches, and broken glass, and these objects can cause cuts, scratches, or blisters that may become infected if not treated.

Risk of injury

Being outdoors naturally has its hazards. When you walk barefoot on uneven ground, you put yourself at risk of tripping and falling, which can be potentially dangerous.

If your earthing practice involves swimming in a natural body of water, you could face things like waterborne illnesses, sunburns, bites, or stings from marine animals. You're also at risk of drowning if you're not a good swimmer or you're not familiar with the local water.

Electric shock

If you’re not a fan of the outdoors, you can always find grounding systems like grounding mats and grounding sheets that let you connect to the Earth’s energy through a cable plugged into an electrical outlet.

But you need to take some safety precautions to avoid electric shocks. These include ensuring they are plugged correctly into a safe, functioning wall plug.

Are there any benefits of grounding?

Grounding is not exactly a novelty — people have been connecting with the Earth's natural energy since the beginning of time. However, scientific research has just begun to explore its potential benefits for people's health.

The research we have so far is extremely limited, inconsistent, and with small sample sizes. Further clinical trials are needed to substantiate these claims. Some of the proposed benefits include:

Best practices for safe grounding

There are many ways to practice earthing or grounding. Choose the method that best fits your needs.

The first decision to make is whether you're going to practice earthing indoors or outdoors.

Grounding outdoors

Earthing outdoors allows you to make direct contact with the Earth. This includes activities such as:

  • Going for a walk barefoot outside.
  • Standing with bare feet on moist dirt or sand.
  • Placing your bare hands on grass or earth.
  • Sitting with your bare feet on the ground.
  • Swimming in natural water sources like lakes or oceans.
  • Touching the soil with your bare hands while doing gardening activities.

Grounding indoors

If you don't have much time to walk around barefoot, grounding products, like a grounding mat, can be a great alternative. When you plug your grounding devices into an electrical outlet, you establish an electrical connection between your body and the Earth, bringing the potential positive effects of earthing outdoors to your home.

There is a wide variety of grounding products available, ranging from grounding mats that fit under your feet while you sit or stand at your desk to grounding sheets made with conductive material for sleeping, as well as socks, shoes, and patches that attach to your skin.

When buying a grounding product, look for quality products that are made to last. Make sure the one you choose meets safety standards.

Also, be sure to check with your doctor before starting grounding, especially if you're pregnant or have any chronic health issues.

Grounding is generally safe for most people. However, there isn’t enough scientific evidence to make firm conclusions on its safety and efficacy. Some people might experience rare side effects from grounding, like injuries, infections, or electric shocks. Remember to consult your doctor before starting and use good-quality equipment.

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Comments

evelyn
prefix 6 months ago
Didn't have pain, slept well, no headaches, never taken medications not even baby aspirin, tried grounding for slight dizziness that turned out to be vertigo. put sleep pad and grounding pillow, in morning was really dizzy felt strange all over headaches, joint pains everywhere, up every 2 hours to piddle. kept using to see if my body would settle down and readjust but it would not, I finally had to unplug tried suggestions of emergency electrolytes etc, but didn't help much felt very tired, and now I did have pain and sleeplessness! am very disappointed as I thought this was something natural that couldn't hurt me in anyway.
Healthnews Team
prefix 6 months ago
Thank you for sharing. If you keep experiencing the symptoms mentioned in your comment, please consult a healthcare practitioner since it may have been triggered by many factors that need to be evaluated professionally.