For many of us, going barefoot is something that only happens at home. Increasingly though, people are turning to walking and exercising shoeless on natural surfaces such as soil, grass, and sand. The reason? Better health.
Walking barefoot, along with other “earthing” or “grounding” practices, offers remarkable health benefits, studies have shown. This is because skin contact with the Earth's natural electrical charges has positive effects on the body.
Here’s a look at a few of the incredible benefits of going barefoot.
- Lower Risk of Heart Disease
One of the primary benefits of earthing is that it can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death around the globe. In one study, researchers found that going barefoot reduces blood viscosity and clumping by increasing the surface charge of red blood cells. These are major factors in hypertension and cardio problems. It has also been found that heart rate variability improves when people regularly walk without shoes and socks.
- Better Sleep
Suffer from insomnia or having trouble sleeping at night? Sleep disorders are extremely common, affecting up to 70 million Americans each year. Grounding the body can help. In a month-long blinded pilot study involving males and females aged 23 to 74 who are suffering from sleep disturbances, grounded subjects fell asleep faster and reported sleeping better. In addition, those connected to the Earth felt rested and generally well when they woke up.
- Reduced Chronic Pain
Individuals suffering from chronic back pain, joint pain, and muscle pain have been shown to benefit from grounding as well, the aforementioned study revealed. As a matter of fact, there was a significant improvement in symptoms for participants while sleeping grounded, with many reporting relief. Musculoskeletal conditions affect millions of people worldwide and contribute greatly to disability. Earthing can be useful in reducing the pain, however.
- Higher Energy Levels
When you have had a good night’s sleep, your energy levels increase. You feel better, as more quality sleep translates to less morning fatigue and more daytime energy. This makes it possible to be productive and live a happier, more purposeful life – a great reason to incorporate barefoot walking and other forms of grounding into your life. By making direct skin contact with the surface of the Earth, you can absorb beneficial emissions from nature. Just as energy and frequency generation by the sun produce vitamin D in our body, the conductive ground underneath our feet provides energy and frequencies that positively influence the body.
- Improved Posture
Anyone who’s ever come home and experienced relief after kicking off their shoes knows that footwear can have a major impact on comfort. But, wearing shoes can do more than just cause temporary discomfort; it can affect feet negatively, reducing foot strength and flexibility. This can lead to bad posture that results in back, neck, and knee pain, among other issues. Fortunately, postural alignment can be improved through earthing by spending time barefoot. Earthing can improve how you hold your body when sitting, standing, and walking in various ways, actually.
Earthing Therapy
As shown above, earthing offers valuable health benefits, especially to adults. It’s an effective therapeutic lifestyle strategy for preventing and managing disease and discomfort. Looking to improve your health? Going barefoot is an easy, no-cost way to do it. 30 to 40 minutes a day of shoeless walking is enough to promote healing and protection. Professional grounding methods work really well, too. Contact us to learn more about earthing benefits and discover the grounding services our chiropractic practice provides.
