Human biology is governed by the daily cycle called the circadian rhythm. This cycle acts across all organs and cells within the body and influences functions such as digestion, energy production, sleep, hormones, and nearly every biological process. A small example is shown below of these processes visually represented across 24 hours.

 

A key component in this cycle is the hormone cortisol. This is a stress hormone which at a normal level creates a useful level of alertness and focus. In excess, it generates stress and can have negative implications for organ and cellular function. Throughout the day there should be an ebb and flow to cortisol levels. Normally, cortisol is released in the morning for wakefulness and tapers off throughout the day to a low level at night to facilitate relaxation, recovery, and sleep. A normal cortisol pattern throughout the day is high in the morning and then low in the evening.

 

 

It is common in the modern era of electronics for a persons cortisol pattern to be disrupted. In a disrupted cortisol pattern, low cortisol in the morning leads to grogginess and the need for stimulants to perform at a high level. High cortisol levels at night leads to restlessness and difficulty falling and staying asleep. A dysfunctional cortisol cycle like this can lead to many downstream effects due to elevated stress and a lack of quality sleep.

A study was done to determine the impact of grounding on this daily cycle and in particular how the hormone cortisol is impacted over a 24 hour period. Some of these individuals had excessively elevated cortisol in the morning, likely feeling a high level of stress and pressure right upon waking. Others had suppressed morning cortisol, likely feeling groggy and low energy. A few had elevated evening cortisol at night, which is common in those who have difficulty falling asleep.

 

 

 

The individuals in the study were then grounded every night while they slept for a week. Their hourly cortisol levels were measured before and after the study. The normalization pattern is apparent across the entire group:

 

 

Morning cortisol had a wide variability by participant with some having nearly 4x the blood cortisol level than others. After grounding, this distribution narrowed substantially. Those with low levels were elevated and high levels were reduced. The net average change across all participants was small for the morning readings, due to the variability of starting points. Evening readings on average dropped substantially from grounding, with the average change in midnight cortisol being a 29% decrease.

This normalization of cortisol readings throughout the day has wide ranging physiological impacts. The first order is more restful and deeper sleep, with improved alertness and focus during the day. Quality sleep benefits are systemic, improving overall health and wellbeing. All from incorporating a health practice that is easy and convenient. [source]