Answering the question “how long should you use a grounding mat?” can be complex for beginners. While many people claim to feel the benefits of earthing as a practice, grounding mats work a little differently from walking barefoot outdoors.
Earthing mats are designed to replicate the earth connection we feel when we place our bare feet on the dirt or grass. According to proponents of grounding, this process helps to balance our internal electrical system. While walking around outside might deliver the best benefits for those who suffer from chronic inflammation and stress, it’s not always possible.
A lot of us don’t have access to large open spaces for grounding in our daily life, which means many have turned to products that ground the body at home. However, figuring out how to use these devices to speed up the internal healing process can be challenging.
How Long Should You Do Grounding For?
Knowing how long to use grounding mats is complicated because different people respond to earthing products uniquely. Most experts agree more research is necessary before we can determine exactly how earthing works to reduce blood viscosity, deliver pain relief or lower anxiety. As such, it’s difficult to know for certain how we should use these devices too.
Most earthing products will come with some instructions or guidelines for a large proportion of people on how to use them. The most common strategy is to start with simple, small sessions of exposure to the conductive surface and see how you feel.
While you might not notice an instant change in your blood flow or pain levels, you should be able to gauge whether you can manage to stand, sit or lay on a grounding mat for longer after a while. The average person will usually start with 10 to 40 minutes per day, gradually building up to the point where you might use your mat during meditation or yoga.
Should You Sleep Grounded?
Some people connect their grounding mat to their electrical outlet and place it on top of their bed sheets, so they can expose their body to the benefits all night. However, not everyone feels comfortable sleeping when grounded.
Some proponents of the earthing method believe grounding mats work best when you’re sleeping because most of the body’s healing processes occur during this period. When you’re resting, your body is naturally recovering, flushing out toxins, and regenerating cells.
Exposing your body to the benefits of an earthing mat or grounding sheets during sleep can be an excellent way to build on the existing recovery process. Some people even find their symptoms improve more rapidly when they rest on a mat for longer.
However, for some people, the effects of grounding can feel too much to handle for more extended periods. If you feel warm or uncomfortable when using your earthing products, you may find it’s better to reduce your exposure and slowly work your way up to more prolonged periods.
How Long Does It Take To Feel the Effects?
Even if you follow the instructions provided with your grounding products, it’s important to remember you might not see the health benefits straight away. While some people notice an immediate response to the earth connection, such as an accelerated healing process or a feeling of relaxation and stress relief, most find it takes time.
Most companies manufacturing grounding products for the human body recommend that users shouldn’t expect massive changes overnight. Complementary therapies like grounding will often work at a subtle level, and it can take a while before you notice the results.
It would usually be a few days before you’ll start to notice any specific changes to how you feel or your pain symptoms. However, some people won’t experience any significant transformations for a number of weeks, even if using grounding products for more extended periods.
If you don’t notice any differences at all, it may be helpful to test if your grounding mat is functioning as it should. You can use a multimeter to check your outlet and device’s electrical connection to ensure the grounding system is working properly.
You can also consider moving the position of your earthing mat. Sometimes, it helps to have the mat on a particularly flat surface, away from any other electrical charges which might disrupt the device’s properties.
You can also improve your chances of seeing results from your earthing process by combining regular batches of this method into a single day. For instance, you might spend ten minutes on your mat every few hours rather than trying to do the whole process at once.
When Should You Not Use a Grounding Mat?
For the most part, grounding or earthing mats are relatively safe to use by most people. However, it’s important to be aware of instances where you should reduce or even stop your exposure. For instance, if you use your grounding mat one day for a short time and find the results uncomfortable, you might want to reduce your usage.
Like any new exercise, exposing yourself to too much of the grounding process straight away can also cause a shock to the system for some particularly sensitive people. If you know you’re unwell and your symptoms worsen when using your earthing product, stop using it for a while.
It’s also worth being careful about where you place your grounding mat. If you live in an area with a lot of electrical currents underground, and you use your mat in a space overlapping those connections, this could cause a higher positive charge in the product. If you’re worried about this, rely on a multimeter to test your grounding mat to ensure it’s safe.
Using a Grounding Mat Correctly
Grounding mats are still relatively new concepts to many people who are just beginning to discover the practice of earthing. There’s still a lot of research to be done into these devices, and there’s no clear set of rules for how you can use them effectively.
With this in mind, it’s worth making sure you’re using your product as safely as possible. So, how long should you use a grounding mat? There is no right or wrong answer, as it really depends. However, if you’re not confident about how you will respond, start with only short bursts of usage for around 10 minutes.
As you feel comfortable ramping up, you’ll be able to increase your exposure. Wait until you can stand on your mat with no problems for at least an hour before you think about using one of these devices while sleeping, as this should ensure you still get a good night of rest.