The simple idea of Earthing yourself is coming into sharper focus as one of the easiest ways to reduce jet lag and encourage healthy flying. Earthing, or grounding yourself as it is otherwise known, is the act of connecting with the Earth as a way of reconnecting to the electrical energy of the Earth’s field. Due to modern ways of living we have lost this habit that was once second nature to us. Urban living, Geopathic stress, Electromagnetic pollution and other factors have widened the gulf between us and our contact with nature. Grounding is possible because the Earth gives off an inexhaustible number of negative electrons. The principle within the idea is that contact with the Earth rebalances the positive charge we build up through living. This is necessary for healing and good health.
The discovery that the Earth gives off these negative electrons was made while laying telegraph poles across America during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. These electrons are also called free electrons and they move at the speed of light to balance the charge we are carrying, once we connect with the Earth. They mop up free radical damage (inflammation) and slow the aging process. Interestingly there is a recorded study that demonstrates how grounding yourself regularly reduces the amount of cortisol you produce to within normal ranges. Abnormal cortisol production can be a tell-tale sign of excess inflammation.
Most people live with little or no direct contact with the earth, and an even smaller number walk around barefoot unless they are on holiday. So most people are chronically inflamed. Your typical jet lagged flier is no different; they are surrounded by technology in the workplace and many other stressors. The sharp rise in illnesses related to auto-immune/stress related diseases is a statistic that illustrates this point. While connecting with nature may seem like a luxury or pleasant pastime, science is establishing and verifying it as essential for good health.
Flying is an extreme representation of this disconnection from Earth. As a flier you spend a lot of time off the ground and in the further reaches of the Earth’s atmosphere. This is a double-edged sword for fliers. You don’t get the benefits of the healing negative electrons and as you move through the atmosphere you lose connection with the Earth’s frequency. Another experiment by the California Institute of Human Sciences demonstrated that the human body checks for its reference to the Earth every ninety seconds. It is easy to see how imbalance can occur in the body on a flight lasting several hours. Grounding yourself takes on a very real meaning from this point of view. This is one part of the jet lag picture most approaches doesn’t address.
To come full circle an older study by Durham University in England found that cortisol levels were higher in long haul stewardesses than in short-haul stewardesses. The long haul stewardesses made an average of one transatlantic trip per week while the short-haul ladies mostly stayed within Europe. The take away from this for fliers wishing to avoid jet lag is the further you travel the more you need to ground yourself on arrival. It is as simple as taking your socks and shoes off and walking on the Earth for thirty to forty-five minutes. When that is impossible, packing the latest grounding technology with you on your trip can be a handy alternative.