Imagine this: a warm summer’s day, the sunshine glowing on your face. There’s a gentle breeze, the grass feels cool beneath your feet, and the daisies are tickling at your toes. There’s a reason this scene feels so dreamy- but it might be for reasons you didn’t even know. There’s a scientific explanation for it, and it’s called “Earthing”.
If you think back to your high school biology lessons, you’ll remember that everything is made up of atoms. These atoms are positively, negatively, or neutrally charged - and in this case, an unpaired positive atom doesn’t necessarily mean the best. Positively charged atoms have been linked to chronic diseases, inflammation, and even cancer. The earth’s surface is negatively charged - so it makes sense that walking with nothing between the world and your feet has proven to have a positive impact on your health. Just a few of the proven benefits of “Earthing”, or barefoot grounding, are reduction in pain and muscle tension, helping reduce cardiovascular risk, decrease in stress, and most importantly, improved sleep.
Physical contact with the Earth is a great way to improve your circadian rhythm- that’s the little clock inside your body that helps regulate your sleep, dictating when we get sleepy (or when we’re feeling full of beans). Our circadian rhythm also affects things like blood pressure, body temperature, hormone secretion and digestion - these are all things that are linked with the sleep cycle.
Want to experience the benefits? It’s pretty easy. Earthing is a free and effective way to improve your sleep while taking advantage of a myriad of other health benefits. All you need is direct contact with rock, dirt, grass or water. If you’re close to a beach or ocean (lucky you!) this is possibly the best place to try it. Ever noticed you sleep better on your coastal holidays? This might be because sand and salt water are very conductive, and the ocean is high in magnesium, which plays a role in assisting with deep and restorative sleep.
Adding a barefoot walk in the garden or beachside could be a great addition to your diary for your sleep ritual. Also see more of our wellness tips here or find other ways to build on your sleep ritual with our Bath & Body range.
