Many people report that grounding can help reduce or eliminate headaches, however, others report that grounding can actually cause increased headaches, dizziness, and neurological symptoms.
Why does grounding resolve headaches or some people and cause it for others?
Evidence Grounding Cause Headaches?
Grounding can cause headaches under two situations:
1.) Detox Reactions
If people have heavy metal toxicity or chronic infections, like longterm Lyme Disease or long Covid, then they can experience detox reactions as their body clears the toxins from their body. The detox reaction should be short lived (1-2 weeks at most) and should be brought on when you ground indoors or outdoors.
To determine whether your headache is caused by a detox reaction, you should try grounding outdoors, barefoot in grass, mud or sand. If you continue to get the same symptoms, then most likely your headaches are the result of a detox reaction. Go slowly with grounding, but continue doing so.
If you're curious about other side effects of grounding read our post: "Side effects of Earthing".
2.) Dirty electricity in your indoor ground.
It's possible to get headaches caused by dirty electricity in your indoor ground. If you believe this is the cause then, you need to get a dedicated grounding stake to resolve your headaches.
If you are grounding indoors using a grounding product, like a mat, blanket, or bedsheet, most people plug it directly into their outlets. Most people's electrical ground in their house is generally clean, however, not all are clean. It's possible that even if you check your outlet with an outlet checker or multimeter that there is still "dirty electricity" flowing through the ground of your house. This dirty electricity can be caused by inefficient appliances in your home and poor home wiring.
If you get tingles when you are grounding or have mild shocks or feel jittery when using your home grounding product, chances are you have dirty electricity in your ground. You should likely stop using your indoor grounding product until you get a dedicated stake.
Scientific Evidence on Grounding for Reducing Headaches
An observational study from the University of Basrah College of Medicine reported that after 1–3 days of grounding, most COVID-19 patients saw improvements in various symptoms, including headaches. This study points to grounding's possible role in inflammatory and pain-related conditions (1).
Additionally, a selective evidence-based medicine review by the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine assessed the impact of grounding on the subjective experience of pain (2). The review, which analyzed multiple studies, found that grounding reduced pain in some cases. However, one study showed no significant difference between the grounded and placebo groups. This mixed outcome suggests that while grounding may promise pain relief, more extensive research is needed to confirm its efficacy, particularly for headaches.
The article "Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine Strategies Should Include Earthing (grounding): Review of Research Evidence and Clinical Observations" presents grounding as a method with wide-ranging benefits. It notes that individuals report better health, mood, appearance, and less pain. Especially for those with chronic conditions, grounding emerges as a simple, often rapidly practical approach (3).
Complementing these studies, testimonials from the Earthing Institute's website offer personal accounts of how grounding has helped individuals with their headaches. For example, a man noted immediate relief from a headache after grounding for about 20 minutes. CM from South Hadley mentioned that grounding helped alleviate "stress headaches" and neck tightness. A delivery service worker shared that grounding helped relieve pain from a stress headache within 30 minutes. These stories, while anecdotal, suggest a trend where individuals experience relief from various types of headaches through grounding practices (4).
Addressing whether grounding leads to headaches, evidence predominantly revealed that it's more likely to offer relief than cause discomfort. Despite the promising anecdotes and some supportive studies, comprehensive scientific evidence is still developing, highlighting the need for further detailed research.
Grounding, achievable through direct contact with the Earth or using specific tools, including mats, emerged as a promising method for managing headaches; more research and recommended practices from healthcare professionals are required to integrate it fully into holistic health approaches.
References:
- Sinatra, Stephen T, et al. “Grounding - the Universal Anti-Inflammatory Remedy.” Biomedical Journal, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10105021/.
- Does Grounding to the Earth Reduce Subjective Experience ..., digitalcommons.pcom.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1500&context=pa_systematic_reviews. Accessed 2 Mar. 2024.
- Author links open overlay panelWendy Menigoz a, et al. “Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine Strategies Should Include Earthing (Grounding): Review of Research Evidence and Clinical Observations.” EXPLORE, Elsevier, 14 Nov. 2019, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550830719305476#bib0002.
- “Headache.” Earthing Institute, 31 July 2023, earthinginstitute.net/headaches/.
