Earthing Mat or Grounding Mat Explained
Many people choose an earthing mat or grounding mat as their first indoor earthing product. It can be used at home or in the office and is a convenient way to make earthing a regular part of your life. For instance, our Australian Made fabric grounding mat can be sat on, used in the office or slept on (like a mini sleep pad underneath your fitted sheet).
Earthing or grounding is being in conductive contact with the earth. It can be done by walking barefoot, on green grass or wet sand, or indoors with an indoor earthing product. See our article on how grounding works.
Indoor earthing offers a convenient way to earth while you work, rest or sleep. It allows you to earth on a regular basis, whatever the weather.
The health benefits can be transformational. There are over 20 research studies on earthing, many of which are published in peer-reviewed journals. They show positive results for sleep, immune response, pain relief, stress, blood flow, decreased inflammation and many more.
Download our free ebook pdf for easy offline reading. It includes research summaries organised by health topic plus common questions & answers for anyone new to earthing.
What are Earthing Mats?
Earthing mats or grounding mats are made from conductive material which allows you to connect with the earth, even when indoors.
Earthing works via free electrons in the earth’s surface. These are negatively charged particles that are formed via the lightning strikes and atmospheric pressure on the earth’s surface.
When the earth’s free electrons enter the human body, they act as powerful antioxidants, neutralising harmful free radicals. Free radicals are positively charged molecules produced by the immune system which cause inflammation and can lead to a variety of chronic illnesses.
Indoor earthing products, such as earthing mats, transport free electrons from the earth to your body via a lead that connects to a metal rod, placed into the ground or through the earth port of your power outlet.
What are Grounding Mats Made Of?
They are made of conductive material which allows the earth’s free electrons to be transferred to your body, even when you are indoors.
We make two types of mats.
Our Fabric Grounding Mat is made with stainless steel fibre and is our most versatile product – you can sleep on it, sit on it, use it at as desk or while watching TV. This is also a popular first earthing product. It is conductive on both sides.
Our Better Earthing Mat is made of recyclable PVC with carbon infused into the top (black layer) for earthing. We use PVC that is nontoxic and phthalate-free.
Most earthing mats are made from Polyurethane (PU). With the testing that we have carried out, we know that the conductivity of PU products does reduce over time. This is because PU is designed to biograde, and this can cause instability in the structure when it comes to conductivity. Even folding a PU mat can accelearate this breakdown. This is why most retailers sell these lower quality earthing mats without any written warranty on their conductive life.
We use PVC because it is hardwearing, and durable. It will give many years of service without loss of conductivity. Our Better Earthing Mat comes with a 2-year warranty.
Our fabric grounding mat comes with a 5-year warranty. Because stainless steel is more conductive than carbon, it has more conductivity for earthing.
Are Grounding Mats Safe?
Earthing mats work by conducting free electrons, not electricity. This means that they are safe to use whether connected to a grounding rod or through your power outlet.
Our products come with a specially designed earthing adapter to fit your power point. It has two plastic pins. Only the earth pin is metal, allowing free electrons to pass through. You can use your earthing mat with the power switched off, but it is also safe to use with the power on if you wish to share the socket with another appliance. As a precaution, our lead contains a 50,000 Ohms resistor, that prevents any electricity from reaching your product. It also has fine wires like fuse wire that acts as a second barrier in the very rare (theoretical) event of a power surge through the earth wire.
Earthing is completely natural and very safe. However, if you are suffering from any health conditions or taking prescribed medication you should talk to your healthcare provider first. Due to some of the health benefits of earthing, the dosage of your medication may need to be monitored and reduced. See our earthing and health FAQs for more.
Earthing your Feet
One way to use an earthing or grounding mat is placed under your feet while you rest or work.
The soles of your feet are rich in nerve endings, the gateways to your body’s electrical communications system.
The soles of the feet are also the location of an important acupuncture point, K1. This is the first point of the kidney meridian, one of the 12 main meridians of acupuncture. It is known as a potent point with many benefits for health including relieving insomnia, agitation, headaches, back and leg pain. The kidney meridian also connects with many other organs and meridians including the urinary bladder, liver, lung, heart and pericardium.
The research study ‘The Effect of Earthing on Human Physiology Part 2: Electrodermal Measurements‘ (Chevalier, G. Mori, K.) used electrodes attached to K1 to replicate standing on the ground, barefoot. The results showed that subjects earthed in this way underwent significant physiological changes compared to the control group. These changes were indicative of reduced inflammation and increased activity in the parasympathetic nervous system, associated with rest and relaxation.
At your Desk
Another way to use your mat is placed on your desk while you work. You can then rest your forearms on the mat as you write or use a computer.
Some people find that using an earthing mat during the working day:
- Increases energy
- Improves concentration
- Reduces stress
- Protects from low-frequency EMFs from surrounding electrical equipment
Either on your desk or at your feet is an easy way to experience these benefits while you work or study. A pilot study on 30 university-aged students, found that students were more relaxed and less stressed after as little 3minutes of earthing based on their brainwaves. The study suggested that earthing could be a good way to combat exam stress.
Is Bare Skin Contact Necessary?
Earthing works well with bare skin, but you can also earth through natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, silk, Tencel / lyocell, and wool, providing that the conductive materials in the earthing product are strong enough to work well through clothing. For Bedding, to keep it simple, we recommend 100% cotton sheets for good earthing.
Natural fabrics are breathable. This allows moisture from your skin, combined with pressure from your body weight, to form conductive channels in the material. These create a pathway for free electrons to travel from the ground, or your grounding product to your body.
Man-made fabrics such as polyester are less conductive, so if you are wearing clothing made from these, the effects of earthing may be reduced. You can test how well your clothing is conducting free electrons using a multimeter.
How Soon Will I Notice a Benefit?
The benefits begin almost immediately even if they are not obivious. Studies show that within just a few seconds your nervous system calms and muscles begin to relax.
With 30-120 minutes of daily earthing, you can experience further benefits including:
- Reduced emotional stress and improved mood
- Relief from inflammation and pain
- Improved heart rate variability
- Improved circulation
- A healthier cardiovascular system with improvements in blood pressure
Sleeping on an earthing product overnight provides all of the above benefits, plus:
- Better quality and duration of sleep
- Waking fewer times during the night
- Less pain interfering with sleep
- Reduced pain including musculoskeletal aches and pains, headaches, gastrointestinal issues, menstrual pain, jaw pain
- Increased daytime energy
- Faster recovery from muscular overexertion
How to Get Started
The easiest way is to step outside, kick off your shoes and enjoy walking barefoot on a conductive surface such as grass, sand or unpainted concrete.
To enjoy the benefits of earthing on a more regular basis, invest in one of our high quality, indoor earthing products. Give it a try and see how earthing could improve your health and well-being.
