If you’re dealing with stubborn inflammation, poor sleep, or a body that feels wired and tired no matter what supplements you take, there’s a free practice most people overlook: putting your bare skin on the earth. Grounding — also called earthing — is one of the most underrated anti-inflammatory tools available, and the research behind it is more solid than you’d expect.
You’ve cleaned up your nutrition. You’ve tried the protocols. You’re still inflamed. Part of what your body may be asking for is something you can do barefoot, for free, in the next ten minutes.
What Grounding Actually Is
Grounding is direct skin contact with the surface of the earth — grass, soil, sand, unsealed stone, or a natural body of water. The premise is simple: the earth carries a mild negative electrical charge, and when you touch it, free electrons transfer into your body. Those electrons appear to neutralize excess free radicals, the unstable molecules that drive chronic inflammation when they accumulate.
Think about the last time your bare feet touched actual dirt or wet grass for more than thirty seconds. For most adults, the answer is sometime in childhood. We sleep in beds off the floor, walk on rubber soles, drive in cars, and live in buildings wrapped in synthetic materials. Every human who came before us spent hours a day in direct contact with the planet. We don’t.
What the Research Says About Grounding and Inflammation
This isn’t woo. A 2015 review in the Journal of Inflammation Research pulled together the existing studies on grounding and reported measurable shifts in inflammation markers, cortisol rhythms, blood viscosity, and pain scores when subjects were grounded versus not. A 2010 study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that grounding reduced delayed-onset muscle soreness and shifted white blood cell counts in a pattern consistent with a calmer inflammatory response. Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic have both acknowledged the early but promising data on stress and sleep.
Here’s the honest framing: inflammation is a signal pointing upstream to a food trigger, a gut barrier issue, a toxic exposure, a nutrient gap, or a nervous system stuck in overdrive. Grounding doesn’t fix the upstream cause. What it appears to do, for many people, is turn down the volume on the body’s stress and inflammatory response so the rest of the work — the food, the sleep, the gut repair — has room to land.
How to Practice Grounding: A Simple Protocol
You don’t need a gadget. You need skin and earth. Start here:
- Twenty minutes, bare feet, on grass or dirt. That’s the entry-level dose most of the research used. Morning sun plus bare feet is a two-for-one — grounding plus circadian light cues for better sleep.
- Wet grass or wet sand conducts better than dry. Morning dew, the edge of a lake, damp soil after rain — all stronger conductors than parched ground.
- Sit or lie down, don’t just stand. Hands on the ground count. More skin, more contact.
- Concrete poured directly on earth (unsealed) works. Asphalt, sealed concrete, painted decks, and rubber soles do not. Indoor wood floors don’t either.
- Try it before bed. Many people report falling asleep faster after even ten minutes of evening grounding.
- Stack it with a walk. Five minutes barefoot at the start or end of a daily walk — it doesn’t have to be a separate appointment.
- Pair it with breath. Four counts in, six counts out, for two minutes while your feet are on the earth. You’re signaling to your nervous system that the threat is over.
One related anti-inflammatory note: skip the bottled seed oils. Two tablespoons of raw butter a day, wild-caught salmon a couple of nights a week, and dressings built from fresh-squeezed lemon, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper will do more for inflammation than any bottled oil ever will.
Always consult your naturopathic physician before making changes to your treatment plan, especially if you’re managing a circulatory condition or are pregnant.
What About Grounding Mats and Indoor Alternatives?
If getting outside barefoot isn’t realistic — high-rise living, long winters, mobility limitations, or no access to clean ground — grounding mats and sheets are marketed as alternatives. These typically plug into the grounding port of a standard outlet.
Direct contact with the earth is the gold standard. I don’t sell grounding products, don’t recommend a specific brand, and don’t have an affiliate relationship with any manufacturer. Some people report benefits; do your own research, read both positive and critical reviews, and speak with your naturopathic physician first if you have cardiac, circulatory, implanted-device, or other medical considerations.
The Best Source Is Outside Your Back Door
No purchase required, no app, no subscription. This is one of the few health practices that costs nothing and that no industry can monetize, which is probably why it rarely comes up in a ten-minute doctor’s appointment. Follow the money — there isn’t any here. There’s just you and the planet you live on.
If your inflammation picture is more advanced or medically complex, Dr. Glidden’s work at Leave Big Pharma Behind offers deeper natural strategies beyond nutrition.
Your 10-Minute Grounding Experiment
Tomorrow morning, before you check your phone, walk outside and put your bare feet on the ground for ten minutes. Notice how you feel an hour later. Notice how you sleep that night. That’s the entire experiment.
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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share resources I personally use or trust.
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