Grounding using earthing mat

[halperinchen]

Hi, I'd like to share my unpleasant experience with grounding using my earthing mat and also like to know if you might share the same experience. Lately, I try to alleviate my insomnia issue by grounding. To my surprise, just after approximately 2 weeks of so using it, my RLS symptoms are totally out of control. Despite increasing my opioid dosage, I still suffer the intensity of the symptoms day and night. Right now, I stop using it and wait for the symptoms to subside. I am certain that the exacerbation is caused by using the earthing mat because I stay with the same lifestyle and the same medication. Thanks for replying to me.

[Joolsg]

So sorry to hear this.What opioid meds are you taking?

Has anything else changed in the last 2 weeks? Did the worsening happen as soon as you started using the grounding mat or after 2 weeks?

[halperinchen in reply to Joolsg]

Hi, Jools, thanks for your prompt reply. Actually I have been taking oxycodone IR 10 mg (instant release for the past 6 years but right now I have to get Dr B to change it to oxycontin 15 mg ER (extended release) to cover for 12 hours of time. But I am still experiencing symptoms during the day and night. The worsening happens right after using the mat which I was not aware. It is after about 2 weeks after I finally realized the earthing mat is the culprit since I haven't changed my diet or taken any new supplements. It still surprises me since it is a harmless device which is only plugged into the house outlet in order to be grounded. Thanks for your reply.

[Madlegs1]

What polarity were you using?

[halperinchen in reply to Madlegs1]

Hi, Madlegs 1: First I need to test my outlet to ensure it is properly grounded before using my earthing mat. Then I just snap the earthing cord onto the mat connection tab. I put under my feet or hands while I sit and work and sometimes I wrap around my upper body while asleep. I started experiencing worsening symptoms in the beginning but I was not aware. It is after two weeks of using it my oxycodone 10 mg failed to relieve the symptoms. I had to call Dr. B to increase the dosage. I am still experiencing symptoms day and night right now. I don't think that it is caused by some other reasons. Thanks for your reply.

[daisydaisy26]

my mother, who suffers from RLS, experienced worsening after some laser and magnetic therapy treatments prescribed to her as part of rehabilitation after hip placement. She had several procedures for three days, and every day her RLS was more severe. Even though during these treatments she felt absolutely nothing, they are not painful, literally no sensations, just laying there for 10-15 minutes in or under special devices.

[halperinchen in reply to daisydaisy26]

Daisydaisy, thanks for your reply, you remind me that I once tried IMRS which is a intelligence magnetic resonance stimulation therapy on me. I have the same reaction to it. My RLS worsened after two sessions of therapy. I should have learned from that experience. We, RLS sufferers may have a very sensitive nervous system.

[DicCarlson]

I've been using the sleeping mat and the floor mat for quite some time - really nothing improved with sleep. I recently ditched the floor mat and will probably ditch the bed mat. The pics of wound healing were very compelling, but not so much for sleep.

[halperinchen in reply to DicCarlson]

Hi, thank you for your reply, DicCarlson, Why give up if you experienced better would healing and your RLS is not aggravated. We all different individuals have different reactions .

[Graham3196]

Deliberately earthing your body can have a safety implication you should be aware of.

The earth is in your house wiring as part of a safety system. Just briefly if you have a fault in an appliance or its wiring and you are earthed then a current will flow through you to the earth and blow the fuse. In some fault conditions the current will flow through you to earth and you will probably die. The fuse takes a long time to blow and will not save your life. The fuse is intended to prevent your house burning down.

In most modern houses and appliances this has been changed in order to save many lives. "Now-a-days" most appliances have double insulation which means you need an unlikely combination of faults to die. You will notice that all the parts you can touch are plastic or other non-conductive material. This is a good start but humans can still find ways to injure themselves.

So now the earth is used as an alarm. A device called a "earth leakage detector" is included in the power circuit. You have three wires on most appliances An active wire, a neutral wire and an earth wire. The earth leakage detector measures the current flowing into the device on the active wire and the current going out of the device on the neutral wire. If these two currents are not the same then electricity is going somewhere it shouldnt so the earth leakage detector decides that a fault has occurred and switches off the electricity quicker than it can kill you. Great if you live in a modern house. Modern wiring uses electronic fuses and usually the earth leakage detector is built into them so its much safer than it used to be.

Everyone should ensure that their house is protected by earth leakage detectors

If you deliberately earth yourself to a mat of some sort then live in or visit an old house you might be setting yourself up for a nasty accident.

In some places earthing mats are necessary for working on delicate equipment. In these situations the mat is connected to earth through another safety device. This can get more complicated but the essence of it is that you need to be careful.

I would suggest that in your own house you make sure there is a earth leakage detector in the switchboard where the meter is. It may not be obvious so ask an electrician. The earth leakage detector will have a button marked "Test" or similar and its not a bad idea to press it once a year just to be sure it works.

If you are visiting some other property where you cant be sure then assume that you are not protected and don't earth yourself with the mat.

If you really want to use the mat then get expert to ensure that the mat is connected to ground through a high resistance. I wont suggest a resistance value because I can't remember exactly.

There are two "levels" of protection with the earth leakage detector. The standard level and the hospital level. The hospital level gives more protection in case the victim has a bad heart. Some equipment can trip the hospital protection limit. For example old fashioned flourescent lights and old dish-washing machines.

Be careful. While on the subject be careful of extension leads. They have been known to be wired incorrectly. Dont use any extension lead that has been repaired by anyone other than an electrician you really trust

[halperinchen in reply to Graham3196]

Thank you Graham 3196, It is a very knowledgeable information, thanks for your patience to explain to me in detail. Sometimes we have to be careful to use any new device. Right now, I don't thinks I want to touch my earthing mat with a ten-foot pole. Nothing is more painful than aggravating my RLS symptoms.

[discgolfrules]

Hello, not sure about electricity and house wiring. But I can tell you that my symptoms feel like an overloaded circuit that when full, shoots electricity from my brain, down my spine. If I focus and try to hold it back, the charge just becomes stronger, so I let it loose before it builds to much. When I say let loose, I mean that I aloow my body to do smaller jumps instead of one big charge, that is really painful. When it shoots down my spine, then it expands out through the upper and lower body. Imagine someone being hit with a taser and locking uo, it's exactly like that. So I know electricity has something to do with it. Maybe you are charging yourself up with the grounding mat. Just a guess from my own personal experience.

[halperinchen in reply to discgolfrules]

It might be right from your own experiences. I only know somehow the earthing mat does aggravate my nervous system. It is a lesson to learn. We RLS sufferers might have a very sensitive nervous system. I guess. Thanks for your input.

[Giacomo10]

Hi, halperinchen, I had exactly the same experience as you had. I have suffered from a mild form of RLS from many years. I typically treat it by assuming an electrolytes complex before sleep, and this keeps it under control.

Until recently. I decided to try earthing/grounding, and bought a grounding mat for my workstation, and a grounding pillowcase. Right from day 1 my RLS got completely out of control. I couldn't sleep at all.

I had never experienced such strong symptoms, and so I decided to stop my grounding attempts. Things got back under control right away.

I am pretty sure it was the grounding to wreck havoc in my legs, and I am really disappointed, because I really looked forward to try this biohacking technique.

I wonder if anyone else had the same problem and was able to find a workaround.

[halperinchen in reply to Giacomo10]

Hi,Giacomo,thank-you-for-your-reply,-I-have-to-apologized-for- the-sentences-without-spaces-in-between-,I-have-to-use-hyphen-in-between.--It-is-frustrating-I-still-don't-know-what's-wrong-with-either-my-computer-or-the-website.--Anyway-I-am-still-not-able-to-use-the-earthing-mat-I-purchased.--Because-it-exacerbates-my-RLS-symptoms-each-time-I-use-it.--I-don't-really-know-why-such-a-benign-product-would-aggravate-the-symptoms.--I-will-bring-it-up-to-dr.-B-next-month-when-i-visite-with-him.--Thanks-for-reminding-me.-I-will-post-here-about-what-he-has-to-say.

[SarasotaOPNYGolfer]

I just wanted to let you know that I experienced the exact same thing.

I have a rare auto immune disorder and a connective tissue disorder as well as methylation issues. I assumed I was just a zebra and this was a strange confluence of factors that cause my unique situation.

But, after reading many of these comments I realize that is not the case.

I had tried a grounding mat and had both positive and negative reactions to it.

On one hand, it immediately vanquished anxiety and my overwhelming desire to sleep during the day.

On the other hand I felt a pain shoot from my brain and run down my spine and twitching and popping throughout my muscles.

I felt a surge of energy in my system as if it was overloading the circuit.

I now have sensitivity while walking on the ground in bare feet, It causes hyperexcitability in my nerves and can cause pain in my spine and twitching in my muscles.

I just thought I would let you know you’re not crazy! But I also discovered another piece of the puzzle may be that I struggle with anemia. Low iron in the brain and spinal cord can cause many issues, and my ferritin was at 4, when the threshold for low ferritin is 20.

Fwiw you may want to check out your blood panel to see if you have outright anaemia or low ferritin.

I am in the process of trying to figure out how to heal this.

I did run across a few articles that mentioned that small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is linked to restless legs.

I am on carbamazepine to try and bring down aberrant nerve signals.

I had a previous belt with restless legs while I was on birth control 16 years ago. That lasted for about 3-5 years. It was nightmarish!

I really hope that I do not revisit that level of pain and dysfunction.

good luck with trying to heal your RLS and your hyper excitable spine and nerves.

I have been looking into vitamin B1 analogues like Benfotiamine and sulbutiamine because they are supposed to help heal compromised blood brain barrier function.

I have tried to grams of omega-3 fatty acids a day, vitamin C, vitamin B complex, sodium Butyrate, Probiotics, N-acetylcysteine, alpha lipoid acid, Metformin, and I will be starting on iron infusions next Monday.

On that note Metformin has been shown to drop iron (Ferritin) levels in PCOS patients within three months of commencing daily dosing.

So good luck! And you’re not alone 🤗

[flaurel]

It's often a good idea to start small, like a half hour a day, and give the system time to adjust.