The first time I heard about grounding, I thought, “What is this weirdness?” Go touch grass? Why do we need to be in contact with the earth’s surface?

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What grounding or earthing means

Remember rubbing a balloon on your head, making your hair stand up, and then touching someone to give them a little shock? You’ve probably been on both the giving and receiving end.

That’s the picture that came to mind when I learned about grounding. We don’t usually see or feel electrical charges. The balloon gives us a way to picture them.

The idea behind grounding is that contact with the earth allows an exchange of electrical charge. Think bare feet on the ground. It’s also called earthing. The two names describe the same practice.

As a registered nurse, I like understanding the hows and whys. With grounding, I don’t have an explanation for every reported benefit.

Potential benefits of grounding for Hashimoto’s

People who practice grounding report a range of benefits:

• Better sleep quality.
• Less inflammation.
• Lower stress and anxiety.
• Improved mood and emotional well-being.
• Less pain, including chronic pain.
• Better circulation.
• Faster recovery after exercise.
• More energy.

Grounding has also been discussed as a possible way to support immune function. These are potential or reported benefits, not a promise that you will experience all of them.

Hashimoto’s is two sides–thyroid and immune. Grounding impacts general inflammation which directly impacts overall immune function as well as impacts many other more narrow functions. (Any diagnosis ending in “itis” is inflammation–thyroiditis for example.) When you have an autoimmune condition, you want to address inflammation and support your immune system.

Some of the proposed connections involve cortisol, your stress hormone, and the autonomic nervous system. The possible mood effects may involve serotonin. I don’t know all the hows and whys, and I wouldn’t turn those possibilities into a guarantee.

There are also personal stories. Some people describe less pain after sitting on the grass for five to ten minutes each morning. Others notice changes in their sleep or energy.

Someone else’s experience is still their experience. Your response may be different.

How to practice grounding outside

Outdoor grounding can be as simple as:

• Sitting with your bare feet on the grass.
• Walking barefoot on sand.
• Swimming in a lake.

You don’t have to buy something to have direct contact with the ground.

Five to thirty minutes is the range I suggest considering. You might start with five or ten minutes in the morning. That’s a way to fit it into your day, not a deadline for noticing a benefit.

In the summer, I try to go outside every day. I’ve spent mornings sitting outside with one of our outdoor cats, Cowboy. He comes over, climbs into my lap, and purrs.

I get to sit outside with a happy cat on my lap. I like that combination.

Morning grounding can also overlap with early morning sun exposure. You can be outside with your feet on the grass while getting that morning light.

Grounding sheets when you cannot get outside

I’m not going outside barefoot when it’s below freezing. Definitely not when it’s below zero.

Maybe your weather problem is the opposite. It’s too hot to spend time outside comfortably. Or you live in a city where getting to grass or sand isn’t simple.

Grounding sheets are an indoor option designed to connect you to the earth through an outlet’s grounding connection. That is the idea behind them. Unlike going outside, they cost money.

Some people swear by their grounding sheets. They describe better sleep, less soreness, or more energy.

One person told a story about feeling groggy and sore each morning for a week. Then they discovered their grounding sheets weren’t connected. After reconnecting them, they felt better again.

But one of my friends had a different experience. She felt jittery when she used grounding sheets. Things didn’t feel right to her.

Both of those experiences matter. I wouldn’t use one person’s story to promise what grounding sheets will do for you.

Your experience may be different

You are bio-individual. There is nobody else on earth exactly like you.

That’s why I teach you to take control of your own health. A tool that someone else loves may not be the tool you need. Part of choosing is understanding your own Hashimoto’s root causes.

Please discuss changes with your trusted healthcare provider. Grounding for Hashimoto’s is something to consider in the context of your own health and your own response.

If you’d like help putting small health habits into practice, the Simple Habits Program gives you twelve weeks of structure to work on one small shift at a time.