The effect of earthing (grounding) on human physiology

Previous research (12) showed that connecting the human body to the earth during sleep normalizes circadian cortisol profiles and reduces or eliminates various subjectively reported symptoms, including sleep dysfunction, pain and stress. We therefore hypothesized that earthing might also influence other aspects of physiology. Fifty-eight healthy adult subjects (30 controls) participated in a double blind pilot study. Earthing was accomplished with a conductive adhesive patch placed on the sole of each foot. An earthing cord led outdoors to a rod driven into the earth. A biofeedback system recorded electrophysiological and physiological parameters. Upon earthing, about half the experimental subjects showed an abrupt, almost instantaneous change in root mean square (rms) values of electroencephalograms (EEG) from the left hemisphere (but not the right hemisphere) and all of them presented an abrupt change in rms values of surface electromyograms (SEMGs) from right and left upper trapezius muscles. Signal variance in rms muscle potentials also increased significantly. Earthing decreased blood volume pulse (BVP) in 19 of 22 experimental subjects (p < 0.001) and in 8 of 30 controls (p ≅ 0.1, not significant); heart rate (HR) was not affected. From these results, it appears that earthing the human body has significant effects on electrophysiological properties of the brain and musculature, on the blood volume pulse, and on the noise and stability of electrophysiological recordings. Taken together, the changes in EEG, EMG, and BVP suggest reductions in overall stress levels and tensions, and a shift in autonomic balance upon earthing. The results therefore extend the conclusions of the previous study (12).