Grounding Research & Facts
What grounding is
Grounding (also called earthing) means making direct conductive contact with the Earth's surface — bare skin on grass, sand, or soil — or connecting to the ground port of a properly wired outlet through a conductive mat like EarthPad. The Earth's surface holds a mild negative electrical potential; grounding lets your body equalize with it. That part is physics. What it may mean for how you feel is what researchers have been exploring.
What published research has explored
Every study below is real, peer-reviewed, and linked directly to PubMed so you can read exactly what was measured and decide for yourself. These are small, early-stage explorations — interesting signals, not proof.
Sleep, cortisol and stress (2004)
The Biologic Effects of Grounding the Human Body During Sleep as Measured by Cortisol Levels and Subjective Reporting of Sleep, Pain, and Stress — Ghaly and Teplitz, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. A 12-person pilot in which participants slept grounded for eight weeks; researchers measured cortisol patterns and collected self-reported observations on sleep, pain, and stress. Read on PubMed
The broad review (2012)
Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons — Chevalier, Sinatra, Oschman, Sokal and Sokal, Journal of Environmental and Public Health. A review gathering the early research on grounding across sleep, stress measures, and physiology. Read on PubMed
Post-exercise muscle soreness (2010)
Pilot Study on the Effect of Grounding on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness — Brown, Chevalier and Hill, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Eight participants, a controlled exercise protocol, and soreness measures with and without grounding. Read on PubMed
Inflammation and the immune response (2015)
The Effects of Grounding (Earthing) on Inflammation, the Immune Response, Wound Healing, and Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases — Oschman, Chevalier and Brown, Journal of Inflammation Research. A narrative review of observations and case reports around grounding and inflammatory markers. Read on PubMed
The honest context
Studies in this area are generally small, sometimes unblinded, and often run by researchers enthusiastic about grounding. They explore signals — they do not establish that EarthPad will produce any particular health result. EarthPad is a wellness product, not a medical device, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition, talk to your clinician.
Facts about EarthPad itself
These are product facts, not health claims: EarthPad connects only to the ground port of a grounded three-prong outlet. It draws no electrical power — nothing charges, nothing heats. Contact happens through bare skin: feet, forearms, or ankles. It wipes clean with a damp cloth, and every order includes a 90-day at-home trial with free shipping to the US, Canada, and the UK.