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How are people doing with earthing sheets these days?

perchance dreamer

Senior Member
Messages
1,691
I just ordered a new one because I think my old one lost its conductivity. I no longer feel benefits from it. I tested my outlet, and it's fine.

I read on the Earthing Institute site that sheets can lose their conductivity if you don't wash them enough. At the time I got mine, they did not have a specific recommendation, but now they say to wash the sheet every week or every two weeks to help it retain its conductivity. Other people have reported the same thing I'm talking about.

I wash my regular sheets once a week, but haven't washed the earthing half sheet nearly that often until now. Unfortunately, it was too late for my old one. When I started washing it once a week after reading the new recommendation, it did not help.

I'm also going to start washing my body pillow case once a week since it comes in contact with the half sheet. In the past, I've washed it infrequently because it is 6' long and an absolute bear to wrestle back into its pillow case.

Anyway, I'm hopeful I'll get benefits from earthing again when I get my new sheet. I never felt pain relief from it, but it did really help my sleep. Also, for the first time, I started getting good lab results for inflammatory markers.
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,859
If you're in the US and can cancel your order, you can have mine. I used it once or twice and didn't notice any benefit.
 

Vincent

Senior Member
Messages
126
Location
Baltimore, Maryland USA
I thought about buying an earthing sheet but they seemed way too expensive for what you get. I think they were 100 dollars or something, for a sheet with a plug on the end of it.
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,859
Well dreamer gets first crack at mine, but another thought is to share my mat around for the cost of postage, so people can try it out. I don't ever need it back.

Madie
 

perchance dreamer

Senior Member
Messages
1,691
Thanks, Madietodd, that's really nice of you, but I want to just start anew with a new sheet. The new ones are longer than the one I originally ordered, so it should stay tucked in better for my queen bed.

I wonder why some people respond to earthing and others don't? The very instant I used mine the first time I felt mild tingling in my feet and legs in contact with the sheet, and I slept a lot better that first night.

My husband is an engineer and very skeptical of alternative treatments, but he felt he had deeper sleep with the sheet when it had its conductivity.
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,859
So far the idea seems to be that we carry too much inflammation, which is reduced by grounding. I stopped watching when this cardiologist claimed that a single rat study proved that lack of grounding interfered with blood sugar metabolism.......and then said lack of grounding is a cause of our epidemic of diabetes.
According to this doctor, I get plenty of grounding from my ceramic tile kitchen floor - I'm always barefoot, and I'm in my kitchen easily for an hour every day.
I bought the grounding sheet for sleep improvement, which didn't happen. But now that it has gotten somewhat better from cutting out dairy and all stimulants, plus doxycycline for Lyme (!), maybe I should try the sheet again.
 

perchance dreamer

Senior Member
Messages
1,691
Madietodd, let us know if you feel anything from using the sheet again.

Ooh, I really don't like not being able to put lotion on my legs after shaving because of the sheet. If you shave your legs, it's hard not to use lotion afterward. But it's a small price to pay for the earthing benefits.
 

moblet

Unknown Quantity
Messages
354
Location
Somewhere in Australia
There are testers available to check that an earthing product is still working, although I don't know how effectively they can measure a bedsheet. If you have a multi-meter you can possibly use it to check whether you are still earthed (last time I used one I was in a house where I was usually at 0.7V unearthed, and this dropped to zero as soon as I earthed myself).

The Australian seller I bought my sheet from reckons that you need to give a product six weeks before you can be sure that it isn't helping. I did my own experimenting with a piece of wire bent around my ankle to prove that it helped before spending any money. I've since found that the more of my body is earthed at once, the calmer my nervous system is, and have upgraded from a flat sheet to one that's like a sleeping bag.

As to why earthing seems to make so much difference to some of us and not others, remember that what we have in common here are syndromes defined by symptoms, not necessarily the same fundamental problems. That said, as I move from place to place I've also found that when I'm in cities my body buzzes more than mere earthing can fix.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
...
The Australian seller I bought my sheet from reckons that you need to give a product six weeks before you can be sure that it isn't helping. I did my own experimenting with a piece of wire bent around my ankle to prove that it helped before spending any money. I've since found that the more of my body is earthed at once, the calmer my nervous system is, and have upgraded from a flat sheet to one that's like a sleeping bag.

As to why earthing seems to make so much difference to some of us and not others, remember that what we have in common here are syndromes defined by symptoms, not necessarily the same fundamental problems. That said, as I move from place to place I've also found that when I'm in cities my body buzzes more than mere earthing can fix.

Can you explain in more detail how to bend a piece of wire around your ankle to test your response to earthing? What kind of wire, the shape you bent it into, how long you had to wear it to feel the effect and anything else you could share about this.

Thanks!
Sushi
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,859
Well, I'll try it again in case it was coincidence, but I was awake all that night I tried it (3 days ago).
 

camas

Senior Member
Messages
702
Location
Oregon
Mine was out of commission for quite a while after my boyfriend accidentally cut through the grounding cord while pruning outside the bedroom window. I got a new cord and have it going again. The tester showed that the half sheet was still good, but I'll be sure to give it more frequent washings now that you mention it. It seems to help my sleep a little and his a lot. He's out like a light the minute his head hits the pillow.
 

moblet

Unknown Quantity
Messages
354
Location
Somewhere in Australia
Can you explain in more detail how to bend a piece of wire around your ankle to test your response to earthing? What kind of wire, the shape you bent it into, how long you had to wear it to feel the effect and anything else you could share about this.

Thanks!
Sushi
The objective is simply to maintain an electrical connection with the earth, and it doesn't matter how you achieve it so long as you don't electrocute yourself in the process.

I used a piece of old speaker wire, but any single-strand wire would be suitable. One end of it needs to contact your skin somewhere and somehow, I achieved this by bending the wire around my ankle like a bracelet. The other end needs to be earthed, which means either poking it adequately into the ground or connecting it to the earth socket of a power outlet. I bought a power plug from a hardware store and connected my speaker wire to the earth pin (it's rather important that you connect to the correct pin and connect nothing to the other pins) and then had a simple earthing device that I could use anywhere indoors within range of a power outlet. Photo attached, note that Australian plugs differ from those used in other countries.

I started out by wearing it when I sat at my computer, which at the time was my best available distraction and something I would do for hours at a time. In the more or less uninterrupted four hour sitting when I first used the wire I noticed after this time that my nervous system was calmer than usual.

I then started sleeping with the wire bent around one ankle (I don't typically move much during sleep), and noticed that my nervous system was calmer than usual pretty much from the moment I got into bed, and I would get more restful sleep.

On one occasion I had pain in one toe on my left foot from a chafe wound, which was also reproduced in my left hip. I got into bed with the wire on my right ankle, and after a few minutes it occurred to me to switch it to the leg that had the pain of the moment. Within seconds of putting the wire on my left ankle, the reproduction of the pain in the hip ceased.

After all that I didn't have any difficulty convincing myself that an earthing bedsheet was worth the money. In my case it seems to be earthing during rest and sleep that's critical, and apart from going barefoot when I can I don't make any effort to earth myself when upright as I don't consider it makes enough difference. I stopped using the homemade device once I got my bedsheet.
 

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Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
The objective is simply to maintain an electrical connection with the earth, and it doesn't matter how you achieve it so long as you don't electrocute yourself in the process.

I used a piece of old speaker wire, but any single-strand wire would be suitable. One end of it needs to contact your skin somewhere and somehow, I achieved this by bending the wire around my ankle like a bracelet. The other end needs to be earthed, which means either poking it adequately into the ground or connecting it to the earth socket of a power outlet. I bought a power plug from a hardware store and connected my speaker wire to the earth pin (it's rather important that you connect to the correct pin and connect nothing to the other pins) and then had a simple earthing device that I could use anywhere indoors within range of a power outlet. Photo attached, note that Australian plugs differ from those used in other countries.

I started out by wearing it when I sat at my computer, which at the time was my best available distraction and something I would do for hours at a time. In the more or less uninterrupted four hour sitting when I first used the wire I noticed after this time that my nervous system was calmer than usual.

I then started sleeping with the wire bent around one ankle (I don't typically move much during sleep), and noticed that my nervous system was calmer than usual pretty much from the moment I got into bed, and I would get more restful sleep.

On one occasion I had pain in one toe on my left foot from a chafe wound, which was also reproduced in my left hip. I got into bed with the wire on my right ankle, and after a few minutes it occurred to me to switch it to the leg that had the pain of the moment. Within seconds of putting the wire on my left ankle, the reproduction of the pain in the hip ceased.

After all that I didn't have any difficulty convincing myself that an earthing bedsheet was worth the money. In my case it seems to be earthing during rest and sleep that's critical, and apart from going barefoot when I can I don't make any effort to earth myself when upright as I don't consider it makes enough difference. I stopped using the homemade device once I got my bedsheet.

Thanks a lot Moblet,

I am probably one of those who would electrocute themselves!

Maybe I'll try sticking it in the ground when I am outside reading or something.

The photo was great...but as you say--an Australian plug so I don't dare copy!

Thanks again,
Sushi
 

moblet

Unknown Quantity
Messages
354
Location
Somewhere in Australia
Thanks a lot Moblet,

I am probably one of those who would electrocute themselves!

Maybe I'll try sticking it in the ground when I am outside reading or something.

The photo was great...but as you say--an Australian plug so I don't dare copy!

Thanks again,
Sushi
When you're outside you can earth yourself just by touching the ground with your bare feet (unless you're on an insulating surface), so such paraphernalia are unnecessary. The alternative to using a power outlet when indoors is to run a wire to the outside and into the ground.

Your US plugs are NEMA-5, I believe, with two parallel slat-type prongs and one round one beneath them. The round one is the earth. If you know anyone locally who knows anything about electricity they should be able to help you get it right. The only tool required is a screwdriver and perhaps something to strip and/or cut the wire if needed. Note that the wire need not be insulated unless you're going to be positioning it dangerously close to any voltage sources, but for highest safety it's probably better if it is.

If you do make something yourself, test it safely before using it, e.g. don't start by wrapping the wire around your ankle, or gripping it, and then plugging it into an outlet. The safest test would be to earth the end that you're planning to use on your body, and then plug it in; if it blows a fuse or trips a breaker then you can safely assume that it's dangerous. If the outlet has a switch there is no need for it to be turned on for earthing to work (the earth is a passive connection).
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
When you're outside you can earth yourself just by touching the ground with your bare feet (unless you're on an insulating surface), so such paraphernalia are unnecessary. The alternative to using a power outlet when indoors is to run a wire to the outside and into the ground.

Your US plugs are NEMA-5, I believe, with two parallel slat-type prongs and one round one beneath them. The round one is the earth. If you know anyone locally who knows anything about electricity they should be able to help you get it right. The only tool required is a screwdriver and perhaps something to strip and/or cut the wire if needed. Note that the wire need not be insulated unless you're going to be positioning it dangerously close to any voltage sources, but for highest safety it's probably better if it is.

If you do make something yourself, test it safely before using it, e.g. don't start by wrapping the wire around your ankle, or gripping it, and then plugging it into an outlet. The safest test would be to earth the end that you're planning to use on your body, and then plug it in; if it blows a fuse or trips a breaker then you can safely assume that it's dangerous. If the outlet has a switch there is no need for it to be turned on for earthing to work (the earth is a passive connection).

Thanks again, I like the idea about using a plug with a switch and keeping the switch off.

Here are the 2 common types of US plugs--one grounded and one not:

images


Let's see what I can come up with -- if I goof, electocution is a fast way to end CFS!

Sushi
 

moblet

Unknown Quantity
Messages
354
Location
Somewhere in Australia
Well, I'll try it again in case it was coincidence, but I was awake all that night I tried it (3 days ago).
Having, er, slept on this thought, if you were unable to sleep because you were earthed for a change, then clearly your body is having some kind of reaction to being earthed. If this is true, and earthing is ultimately benign, then I'm left wondering whether the earthing you're getting during the day is of adequate quality. It'd be really interesting to see what happened if you could ride through your body's reaction to being earthed, as I'm thinking that you might come out the other side with a happier physiology. Rather than go through sleepless nights I'm wondering if you could make use of the sheet and other good options to make sure you're earthed as well as possible for as long as possible whenever you're not trying to sleep, and see if anything changes over the course of a few weeks (including whether you then find that you can sleep earthed).

Of course, if the sleeplessness was due to the physical presence of the earthing sheet, or skin irritation, or whatever, then the above may not apply.