Page reviewed on July 23, 2024 by Dr. Drew Sinatra, N.M.D., F.A.C.N, L.Ac.
Want to sleep AND FEEL BETTER? SLEEP grounded!
Sleeping grounded is perhaps the easiest and very best way to ground, or absorb the Earth’s natural energy for several hours at a time. After all, most people sleep more hours per night than they spend outside grounding barefoot or in grounding shoes. While you can also ground while working at a desk, standing in your kitchen, or sitting on the couch, hopefully you will enjoy more hours in bed than working, doing dishes or watching TV! When barefoot ground exposure is not enough, sleeping grounded is our go-to way to stay connected to health-promoting Earth energy.
Here are our top recommended ways to sleep grounded…
FAQ ABOUT SLEEPING GROUNDED
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People who sleep grounded often report that they sleep better, have more energy, feel more relaxed and rested, and even feel less pain. This is because grounding helps regulate autonomic nervous system activity; among other things, it promotes the relaxation response and can improve cortisol levels. Grounding overall has an anti-inflammatory effect on the body and can reduce pain and recovery time after intense physical activity. Studies also indicate it has a regulatory effect on various hormones in the body and can lead to cardiovascular benefits, such as improved heart rate variability and blood viscosity (zeta potential).
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Earthing mattress covers and sleep mats are grounding devices that go atop your mattress to help ground you while you sleep. They can be placed over or under a fitted sheet. These grounding devices all contain materials that conduct Earth’s electron flow into your body.
To access that Earth energy, you snap a coil cord onto these devices and plug them into ground ports of electrical outlets. Alternately, you can connect a mattress pad/cover to the Earth by way of a grounding rod that you push into the ground. Click here to learn more.
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Grounding sheets, first developed by Clint Ober of the Earthing company, are the original grounded sleep systems. Woven with silver threads, grounding sheets are specifically designed to conduct electrical energy, including Earth’s natural electron flow.
Like the grounding mattress pads and mats they evolved into, the original grounding sheets were connected to cords which plugged into grounding ports of electrical outlets; alternately, you could connect them to Earth energy via grounding rods.
Earthing’s grounded mattress covers, pillow covers and sleep mats, which are made of polyurethane and carbon, are designed to last longer than silver-threaded grounding sheets. These new system are lightweight and thin, yet more durable and easier to clean than old-style grounding sheets. Hence, Earthing’s mattress and pillow covers and sleep mats have replaced Earthing’s plug-in grounding sheets and are essentially “the new grounding sheets.”
You can sleep directly on the mattress and pillow covers, just as you would regular sheets.
We also recommend partial grounding sheets, as well as pillowcases, made by one of our tried and tested brands, TRU47 (see below).
While old-style grounding sheets are still available from various sellers at Amazon, our top recommendations for sleeping grounded are Earthing’s current sleep system line (shown below). We have used Earthing products for over 15 years and trust the research, development, patenting, and fine-tuning that have gone into them. If you want the very best grounding sheets, we recommend you go with Earthing’s current offerings!
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New-style, silver threaded grounding sheets (which you don’t plug in) are designed to enhance the conductivity of Earthing sleep mats and mattress covers. While regular sheets made from a natural fabric like cotton or bamboo are not likely to block Earth energy from the cover or mat, they can dull its flow somewhat. Because grounding sheets are made with conductive silver threads, they facilitate rather than dull the energy flow. The electron flow received will be greater.
In contrast, older-style grounding sheets, such as those found on Amazon and TRU47's partial grounding sheets, plug directly into the ground port of a grounded electrical outlet; hence you do not need to put them over a grounding mattress cover or sleep mat. In other words, the old-style sheets are grounding devices in and of themselves and offer similar benefits as those derived from using an Earthing mattress cover or sleep mat.
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To help soothe, lessen or relieve back pain, we recommend a mattress cover, sleep mat or sheet/partial sheet that your whole body will fit on. If you share a bed with someone who also wants to ground, you will most benefit from an Earthing Mattress Cover that covers your entire bed (several sizes are available).
On the other hand, if your partner doesn’t want to ground, then you can get a smaller Mattress Cover, Earthing Sleep Mat or or TRU47 partial grounding sheet that only covers your side of the bed.
For maximum conductivity of Earth energy, we recommend sleeping directly on top of the device without a fitted sheet between you and it. For pajamas, go with the bare minimum, if any.
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We have been using Earthing-brand mattress covers, mats, sheets, and other Earthing products for over fifteen years. Why? At first, it was because our dad, Cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra, recommended them and gave them to us.
Earthing Founder Clint Ober had introduced him to grounding, and Dr. Sinatra was excited about grounding’s simple, profound potential to help people maintain and improve their health. He and Ober began conducting research on grounding together and co-wrote the 2010 book entitled, Earthing: the most important health discovery ever?
Passionate about grounding, our dad used and recommended Earthing products religiously which inspired us to give them a try. After experiencing grounding benefits firsthand, we began practicing grounding daily – by being barefoot outdoors as well as by using grounding devices like Earthing mattress pads, mats and sheets.
Clint Ober and his team have spent two decades innovating, researching, developing, patenting and fine-tuning Earthing sleep systems. So you can rest assured that Earthing’s current sleep system collection is the very best. We, ourselves, enjoy and trust the efficacy and quality of these products, and thus confidently recommend them to you.
For those who prefer a softer sheet material to ground on over their regular sheets, we also recommend TRU47's partial grounding sheets (more on these below). TRU47 is a trusted maker of numerous silver products we use including USA-made grounding socks and EMF protective clothing. You can learn more about TRU47 here.
*Disclosure: This page contains Amazon and other affiliate links. When you buy through such links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. Your support facilitates our research in the Earthing/Grounding and wellness space, which we'll continue to share with you. We only recommend products we use ourselves and have found to be effective!
Earthing’s Grounding Sleep Systems: mattress covers, sleep mats and pillow covers
If you’re new to sleeping grounded, start with one or more of these:
Earthing Mattress Cover
Comes in various sizes.
Like most grounding sheets, this ultra-thin and lightweight mattress cover fits over the entire surface of your mattress or fitted sheet. We recommend sleeping directly on it, just as you would a grounding sheet.
One of the cover’s biggest advantages is that it’s super easy to clean, unlike older-style grounding sheets (which you have to strip from your bed, machine wash, air dry, then fit back on the bed).
To clean the Earthing mattress cover, you simply wipe it down with a wet or soapy cloth and let it air dry for a few minutes. Less time cleaning means more time sleeping!
Earthing Sleep Mat
This twin-size grounding sleep mat is just like the mattress cover above, except that it offers versatility of placement. You can put it on one side of the bed or spread it across both sides, at the top, bottom or in the middle of the bed.
Place it over your fitted sheet and sleep directly on it as you would a grounding sheet. Like the mattress cover, it is also much easier to clean!
Earthing Pillow Covers
Treat your head and neck to Earth energy while you sleep with a grounded pillow cover! As with the mattress cover and sleep mat, you can lay directly on this grounded cover, rather than blunt its conductivity with a pillowcase. And like the mattress cover and sleep mat, it is very thin and lightweight for comfort, and is very easy to clean with a wet or soapy cloth.
If you’re not ready to invest in a grounded sleep system yet, we recommend testing the waters by sleeping on a Universal Earthing Mat - you’ll know in a few weeks if a mat that provides more head-to-toe coverage is right for you. (Note that Earthing Mattress and Pillow Covers are a much thinner and different conductive material than the universal mat.)
And good news for Amazon-only shoppers…you can also find Earthing sleep systems and other Earthing-brand products at Amazon.com!
What About GROUNDING Sheets and Pillowcases?
We believe that direct skin contact with each of Earthing’s conductive sleep systems is best and opt to sleep directly on them without sheet barriers; however, we recognize that not all people want to sleep without sheets or virtually in the nude.
That said, Earthing has designed its conductive sleep mats and covers to be conductive with a fitted sheet or pillowcase over them, but recommends having no more than one layer of fabric between your skin and each sleep system. You don’t want to be in PJs head to toe - try to sleep with minimal clothing on when on a sleep cover or mat. If you use regular sheets and pillowcases, be sure to choose ones made of cotton, bamboo or other natural fabric.
We have found that not all regular sheets are conductive and recommend testing your grounding sleep system with and without sheets using a product tester. The simplest solution is to sleep directly on the grounded mattress and pillow covers (we do)! These grounded covers are super easy to clean - you just wipe them with a wet cloth and let them air dry for a few minutes (no laundry!). The tester is also useful for making sure older products are still conductive, and even for testing grounding shoes outside.
Another solution is to purchase a set of silver-threaded sheets designed for use over a grounding sleep mat or mattress cover (they will not ground you on their own). Such grounding sheets do not plug into the ground port; rather they help facilitate the flow of Earth energy from the mat or mattress cover into your body.
You can find no-plug silver threaded sheets for all-size mattresses at Amazon.com.
TRU47 SILVER-THREADED CONDUCTIVE PILLOWCASES & Partial GROUNDING SHEETS
Another grounded bedding brand we trusted is TRU47, whose founder, Sharon Whiteley, co-wrote the 2023 book, Get Grounded Get Well with Step Sinatra and Dr. Stephen Sinatra. Along with numerous other silver-threaded products, TRU47 also makes conductive pillowcases and partial grounding sheets.
Silver is not only conductive; it also has anti-microbial and temperature-regulating properties, and helps block radiation from man-made EMF – making it an optimal choice for a sleep system.
TRU47’s soft Jersey Modal & satin pillowcases are woven with 99.99% pure silver threads to conduct restorative Earth energy into your head and face while you sleep. They accomplish this in two ways. You can put them over the conductive Earthing pillow covers shown above, OR you connect them to the grounding port of an electrical outlet via a conductive alligator clip cord (sold separately).
One side of each pillowcase is made of silver-conductive Jersey Modal, while the other is satin. Two colors are available - natural and black; both options come in king and queen/standard sizes, and you can get them in one-packs and two-packs.
In addition to grounded pillowcases, TRU47 also now offers partial grounding sheets! You place them over the width or length of your bed and tuck the ends under your mattress to ground part or all of your body on them.
Like TRU47’s pillowcases, these soft Jersey Modal, partial grounding sheets are also woven with 99.99% pure ionically plated silver threads. These grounding sheets plug into the ground port of your electrical outlet via a convenient, metal alligator cord which clips anywhere onto the sheet; cord is included with sheet purchase. Two colors are available: black and beige/natural, as are four sizes: king, queen, full and twin.
Additionally, TRU47 makes high-quality, silver-threaded clothing, hats and eye-masks, as well as grounding socks. When traveling and unable to turn off the WiFi, we always bring our TRU47 Jersey Modal Beanies - not only do they help protect against EMF exposure while you sleep, they double as eye masks when you pull the soft, thin fabric over your eyes at night!
WHAT ABOUT PLUG-IN GROUNDING SHEETS that cover your entire bed?
As mentioned earlier, our top recommendations for sleeping grounded are Earthing’s current, more durable line of whole-bed grounding mattress and pillow covers and sleep mats. Earthing Founder Clint Ober created these covers and mats in response to consumer demand for sleep systems that would last longer than plug-in grounding sheets. However, we recognize that old-style, plug-in grounding sheets are sometimes desired, even if their longevity is not as promising.
Although plug-in grounding sheets are not our first choice, they’re much better than sleeping ungrounded! You can still find them at Amazon.com. Please note, we are providing this link for convenience, and cannot recommend any particular products found through it, as we do not have personal experience using them.
EARTHING’S GROUNDing BLANKET PROVIDES ANOTHER GROUNDED SLEEP OPTION…
Earthing also now offers what may be the coziest, comfiest and warmest grounding device ever - a plush, conductive throw blanket (44” x 68”)! Like the grounding sleep mats and mattress covers, you plug this blanket into the ground port of an electrical outlet or connect to the earth via a grounding rod. If you tend to fall asleep on your couch or spend a lot of time there, this throw provides an alternate option for sleeping grounded. You can, of course, also use it in bed - with or without other Earthing sleep systems. Throw kit comes with a blanket, coil cord, outlet checker, and safety adaptor.
Note: only one side of this grounding blanket is conductive: the striped one with the snap for cord attachment. So be sure to wrap yourself in that side!
Marchann’s review: I love this soft grounding blanket (and so do my kitties)! It’s proven to be an effective and warm way to sleep grounded when traveling. The blanket is throw-size, and will best ground you when in contact with bare skin, so dress minimally when using it!
What are Earthing Mattress Covers, Pillow Covers and Grounding Sleep Mats Made Of?
Earthing sleep mats and mattress pads/covers are made from non-toxic polyeurethane (PU) infused with carbon, which conducts Earth’s electrons. These latest covers and mats are lighter and thinner than prior versions for improved durability and comfort. They are vinyl-free and phthalate-free. Now without perforations, they are also easier to clean.
Earthing Elite® Mattress Covers come in six different sizes: King, Cal King, Queen, Full, Twin XL and Twin. Each is part of a kit that also includes a connector coil, outlet checker and safety adaptor (latter two for use in U.S.).
The Earthing Elite™ Sleep Mat Kit comes in one size (27” x 84”), and is designed to cover the entirety of a twin bed or about half or a king or queen. You can also place it sideways across the foot of a larger bed for targeted grounding by two people.
Designed to envelop your regular pillows, Earthing Elite® Pillow Covers are made from the same proprietary grounding material as the sleep mat and grounding covers and connect into a ground port the same way. Each kit comes with two pillow covers, and you choose size: either standard or king-size pillows.
How do Earthing SLEEP SYSTEMS work?
Earthing® Sleep Mats, and Mattress and Pillow Covers utilize a proprietary conductive grounding material, which is 100% conductive and plugs into the ground port (the lower third hole) of a three-pronged outlet (see pictures above). If your outlet does not contain a third hole ground port, you can either use an adaptor or a grounding rod (more on those below).
To connect with the Earth’s natural energy, you snap the coil cord onto the grounding mat or pillow cover, then plug the other end of the cord into the ground port of an electrical outlet. Plugging into this ground port does NOT connect your grounding sleep product with the electricity that powers your lights and appliances; rather it puts the product in contact with the ground wire that connects to other outlets in your house (grounding ports were developed in the 1960s as a safety feature to minimize risk of electric shock). This will essentially connect your sleep mat or pillow cover to the Earth’s natural energy so you can sleep grounded and reap the benefits of doing so.
Outlet Checker for U.S. ground ports.
With each sleep kit, Earthing.com will provide an outlet checker, so you can test whether your grounding port is conductive. If the two yellow lights are lit, you are good to go - your grounding sleep system will connect you to the Earth’s energy once you’re plugged in.
If the two yellow lights don’t come on, you’ll need to test and connect through another outlet with a conductive ground port. If you do not have grounded outlets or prefer not to use the outlet, a simple Earthing® Ground Rod System can be used.
Can you wash Earthing® SLEEP MATs and covers?
DO’s:
Regularly wipe down your sleep mat or pillow cover with a damp cloth, especially if you sleep on it without sheets and sweat while sleeping.
On occasion, deeper clean with a damp cloth using a small amount of mild household soap. Use another clean damp cloth to wipe away any soap residue (which can build up and block conductivity).
Let the sleep mat or pillow cover completely air dry after wiping it down.
DON’Ts:
Don’t wash your sleep mat or pillow cover in the washing machine; don’t use the dryer either!
Don’t use cleaning agents containing bleach, disinfectants, oils, or whitening agents. Doing so can ruin the conductivity of your Earthing® product.
Maybe an Earthing® Universal Mat or some Earthing® Wearables or Patches are for you?
Page last updated October 23, 2024.
Although all articles and content at Grounded.com containing health information are reviewed and fact checked by one or more members of our Medical Advisory Board, such information should not replace consultation or a visit with a qualified health professional. As such, we recommend that you consult with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about how grounding may impact your health; view medical disclaimer.