Earthing Products
Earthing Products
Q. I have used various therapeutic systems that simulate the frequencies of the Earth. How is this different?
A. There are many effective instruments available that use a variety of frequencies. Earthing products simply conduct the actual frequencies of the Earth to your body without any simulation and serve as extension cords from the Earth to you. The signal they carry includes all of the subtleties inherent in Nature that our bodies have attuned to throughout history. Earthing is totally natural.
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Q. I don’t want to spend any money for any grounding device when I can make one myself. All I have to do it get a ground rod, some 20 gauge wire, and then wrap the wire around my ankle or foot at night.
A. You can certainly do it. People have done it any times. However, it is not particularly comfortable. You could possibly cut off circulation if you wrap the wire too tight around your extremity. Secondly, a sharp end on a wire wrapped around the ankle could tear the sheet.
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Q. Why should I buy any grounding product, like a sheet or a mat, when I can simply go barefoot?
A. You are absolutely correct. Barefoot is the natural way to go. And also sleep on the ground. This is the way humans evolved. In so-called “developed societies,” we wear insulating shoes and we sleep on elevated beds. However, most people won’t regularly go barefoot, if at all, or consider sleeping on the ground, and certainly not in the cold winter months. So Earthing products were created to address the issue of comfort, convenience, reality, and practicality. The products are basically extension cords. They bring the Earth’s energy outside into the office and home inside — the equivalent of being barefoot outside while you are inside. They were developed to accommodate the research process and to satisfy a continually growing demand of people wanting to sleep, work, or relax grounded for all the reasons we present in the book.
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Q. I started sleeping on an Earthing sheet and noticed that I feel warmer. What’s going on?
A. Contact with the Earth appears to create warmth in the extremities and body as a result of better circulation and relaxation. We have seen people quickly develop a rosier color in their skin. Many people have also reported feeling some initial tingling in the extremities.
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Q. I want to sleep grounded. What is the difference between a bedpad, a half-sheet, and a fitted sheet? Is one more effective than the other?
A. In the Earthing book, we used the generic term bed pad to describe a variety of Earthing sleep systems developed by Clint Ober over the years. There are currently several different products available for beds and they are all effective for sleeping grounded: 1) the bed pad, which is the term now being used to describe a half-sheet that fits across a part of the bed, 2) a fitted sheet, and 3) the universal mat which can also be used on the floor or in the bed.
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Q. I enjoy the feel of plush cotton sheets. Can I put the Earthing sheet underneath my regular sheet?
A. Sorry, but if you do you will not receive the benefits of Earthing. You want some part of your body to be in direct contact with the grounded sheet: the skin of your body touching the conductive sheet. That's how you absorb the energy from the Earth and how you get the benefits. If you have a grounded half-sheet, put it over your regular bottom sheet. If you have a full-fitted Earthing sheet, that serves as your bottom sheet.
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Q. Can I wear pajamas when I sleep on an Earthing sheet?
A. Yes, as long as some bare skin comes in direct contact with the sheet, such as your feet. If some part of your body does not directly contact the sheet, it will require some moisture for the direct current of the Earth to flow through the fabric into your body. For some people this occurs naturally during the night when moisture from the body creates the necessary conductivity. Best, however, is having bare skin contact. Some people have asked if there is any type of pajama fabric that will not work with the sheet. The answer is that the fabric of the pajamas is irrelevant. The only factor that’s important is direct skin contact with the Earthing sheet.
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Q. I like to wear socks to bed. Do my bare feet have to touch the Earthing bed sheet?
A. It is best to have your bare feet in contact with the grounded sheet. The Earth’s energy is conducted most optimally via bare skin contact. However, if you must wear socks, try to have some skin — bare legs or another body part — touch the Earthing sheet. You can place the Earthing product in your bed wherever it is most comfortable and effective for you. If you wear socks to bed because of cold feet, you will often find that your feet warm up naturally from improved circulation when you sleep grounded.
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Q. Can I wear socks when using an Earthing mat on the floor?
A. Yes, but direct skin contact is best. Feet naturally sweat and will hydrate socks, making the socks somewhat conductive.
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Q. Is it OK to use an Earthing sleeping product along with an electric blanket or on an electrically heated mattress pad or waterbed?
A. There is nothing wrong with using an Earthing sleep product with any electrical devices as long as those devices are in good working order.
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Q. How are the Earthing sheets different from an electric blanket?
A. Earthing sheets do not run on electricity. Nor do they heat up as does an electric blanket. They only conduct the subtle energy from the ground. They do not conduct the electrical energy that flows in the electrical system of your house and powers your lights and appliances. If you want to know about safety issues related to the use of electric blankets, visit the following website: http://www.electricblanketinstitute.com/safety.html There are no additional safety issues regarding the use of an electric blanket when sleeping grounded. Earthing product cords contain a current limiting resistor that prevent any harmful effect should an electrical event such as a short develop in an electric blanket.
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Q. How long will an Earthing sheet last before it wears out?
A. Sheets made with cotton, polyester, and conductive silver fiber have withstood rigorous testing conducted by an independent testing lab. After 100 wash/dry cycles, the conductive silver fibers show virtually no breakage or wear. When cared for properly, your sheet should last as long as any good quality bed sheet. It is also recommended that no body lotions or creams be applied before bedtime to any part of the body that will come in direct contact with the sheet. The reason for this is that the creams can easily become absorbed into the sheets. The oils they contain become oxidized by the air and can diminish the conductivity of the silver threads.
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Q. Is the Earthing sheet washable? What about care and cleaning?
A. Your sheet may be laundered just as you would wash other bedding, using a gentle wash cycle and a mild detergent. Low-heat drying is recommended. However, NO chlorine bleach or fabric softener should be used. When necessary, use hydrogen peroxide-based non-bleach to remove stains and/or to whiten your sheet.
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Q. Are the sheet threads really silver? Why?
A. Any metallic material will conduct the flow of electrons. Earthing products utilize carbon or silver as the conductive agent. Silver is highly conductive and very strong, allowing it to hold up well with frequent use and washings. Moreover, it is inherently anti-microbial.
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Q. Can you use an Earthing sleep system over a mattress pad that has magnets embedded in it?
A. There is no problem with using an Earthing sheet over a magnetic mattress pad. The magnets in the magnetic mattress pad produce a static magnetic field that would naturally go through and extend beyond the surface of the Earthing sheet similar to the way it passes through a regular sheet.
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Q. We sleep on a futon. Can I put the Earthing mat under the bottom cotton sheet we use? What with all this new barefoot walking our feet are not always as pristine clean as they were before.
A. The mat will be of lesser value to you if you put it under your bottom sheet. You must have skin contact for grounding to work. The grounding mats or sheets are washable.
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Q. My dog sleeps in my bed with me and sits at my feet when I am at my desk. Is it safe for him to touch the Earthing product?
A. Yes. Animals naturally want to spend time in contact with the Earth. Most indoor pets share our lifestyle causing them to be separated from direct contact with the Earth. People report that pets indoors are attracted to grounding sheets and mats.
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Q. I sleep grounded at night but would like to ground myself during the day as well. What do you recommend? I do not walk around barefoot outside (dogs!).
A. Depending on your activities, you might choose between body bands and the universal mat. You can be more mobile with the bands. Put one around your wrist, or ankle, or knee. If you choose the mat, you can use it on the floor (with bare feet in contact with it) while relaxing, reading TV, or at the computer, or place it on your couch while sitting on it (but making bare skin contact with it), or at your desk with forearm contact.
Just think in terms of what your daily activity is and how either the mat or bands would give you the most convenient grounding time.
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Q. How do you clean an Earthing mat?
A. Mats can be cleaned with ordinary dish soap and water.
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Q. Are Earthing pillow cases made for the bed?
A. Conductive pillow cases were made and sold some years ago. However, it was found that because of the use of facial creams and lotions before bedtime the pillows would quickly lose their conductivity. The oils in these topical produces were oxidizing the conductive silver threads in the pillow cases and destroying their usefulness. Because of this we also strongly recommend not applying such products on the body at bedtime if you sleep on an Earthing sheet.
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