The internet is a vast space where weird trends and dubious inventions can suddenly pop up on your algorithm, often making you question whether a small change could truly make your life infinitely better. Grounding sheets have been one such fad that has slowly crept into many people’s consciousness thanks to aggressive marketing and TikTok, but do they really work?
Let’s start with the most pertinent question here: what exactly are grounding sheets? Well, in a nutshell, they are pieces of fabric that you place on your bed and which you connect to a power supply in order to help ground—or earth—your body to the earth’s natural electrons.
This, manufacturers and numerous uptakers of the trend say, helps restore your electrical balance, improve sleep, increase energy levels, and even reduce inflammation, chronic pain, and stress.
The idea comes from the fact that walking barefoot on grass or soil helps us absorb electrons, but since so few of us have the luxury of doing that on a frequent basis, such sheets help us get the benefits while sleeping.
The reality, however, is that many in the science community are divided about the benefits of grounding itself, mostly because the research is still limited. For example, in a study published in the medical journal, Healthcare, researchers found that over a 12-week period, a group of Alzheimer’s patients who was being grounded showed improved sleep over the group who was administered a placebo treatment. But the number of patients taking part in this study was just 22, making it rather inconclusive.
Even so, if grounding does work, then there is some good news: a professor from Union College in New York, Dr Chad Orzel, has argued that, in nature, an electron is an electron regardless of where it comes from, be it the earth or a fabric.
So, in the end, whether these sheets really work or whether they act as a placebo to those who believe they do, a €50-120 gamble on a set may be worth it, especially if you’ve tried lots of other ways to feel better.