Wired and Tired

We are the first generation of humans to live, work and sleep surrounded by a constant, invisible hum of man-made signals. Phones in our pockets, Wi-Fi in every room, Bluetooth in our ears and smart meters on our walls. We can't see it, hear it or feel it, at least most of us can't. So what is all this doing to our bodies, and what can we sensibly do about it?

What are EMFs?

Electromagnetic fields, or EMFs, are areas of energy that surround anything electrical. Some occur naturally: the Earth has its own magnetic field, and sunlight is a form of electromagnetic energy. Since the arrival of electricity, and especially since the wireless revolution, we have added a great deal more. Man-made EMFs fall into two main groups:

• Low-frequency fields come from power lines, household wiring and electrical appliances, such as hairdryers, electric blankets and the plugs and cables beside the bed.
• Radiofrequency (RF) fields carry wireless signals. They come from mobile phones, phone masts, Wi-Fi routers, Bluetooth devices, smart meters, baby monitors and cordless phones.

Both are "non-ionising", meaning they don't carry enough energy to break chemical bonds directly, as X-rays can. For many years this was taken as proof that they were harmless, apart from mild heating at high levels. But a growing body of research suggests living things may respond to them in subtler ways.

One simple rule applies to all of them: distance matters. The strength of a field falls away sharply as you move from its source. A phone held against your head exposes you far more than one on the other side of the room.

A world bathed in signal

Our exposure has grown enormously in a single generation, and children are growing up with it from birth. Because their skulls are thinner and their nervous systems are still developing, scientists have calculated that children's brains absorb more radiofrequency energy from a phone than adults' do.¹ In 2011, the Council of Europe urged governments to take "all reasonable measures" to reduce exposure, especially for children and young people.² France went on to ban Wi-Fi in nurseries for the under-threes.

What the research says

This is a hotly debated area, and honest answers mean saying what we know and what we don't.

• Cancer. The World Health Organization's cancer agency classes both radiofrequency fields and low-frequency magnetic fields as "possibly carcinogenic to humans".^3,4 For low-frequency fields, this rests largely on studies finding that children living with higher magnetic fields at home, such as near large power lines, had around double the risk of leukaemia.⁵ For radiofrequency, a major US government study found "clear evidence" of rare heart tumours in male rats exposed to phone signals for most of their lives.⁶ Yet in people, large studies of mobile phone users have not found a consistent link with brain tumours such as glioma or acoustic neuroma. A Danish study of some 420,000 phone subscribers found no increased risk,⁷ and a large review commissioned by the WHO in 2024 found no clear link with brain cancer.⁸ The picture is mixed, and many scientists argue that a sensible degree of caution costs very little.
• Oxidative stress. A review of 100 laboratory studies found that 93 reported signs of oxidative stress in cells exposed to low-level radiofrequency radiation: a build-up of unstable molecules that wear down cells and fuel inflammation.⁹ Studies in cells and animals have also found changes in the balance of minerals such as calcium moving in and out of cells, and a weakening of the body's own antioxidant defences.¹⁰ The only effect that is firmly established is mild heating of tissue, and how much these cellular changes matter at everyday levels of exposure is still hotly debated.¹¹ (See The Quiet Fire.)
• Nerves and the heart. Some studies of workers exposed to strong low-frequency fields have looked for links with nerve and heart conditions. Among Danish electricity workers, the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, a form of motor neurone disease) was higher, and rose with years of exposure, while deaths from heart disease and stroke were not.⁷ Public health bodies consider the evidence too limited to say that EMFs cause these conditions.¹¹
• Sleep and the brain. In a sleep laboratory, exposing volunteers to phone-like signals before bed changed their brainwaves during the night, and changed blood flow in the brain.¹² The effects were small, but they show that the sleeping brain can respond to these fields. (For more on protecting your sleep, read The Art of Sleep.)
• Fertility. A review of studies on men found that exposure to mobile phones was linked with poorer sperm movement and survival.¹³ Many experts now suggest not keeping a phone in a trouser pocket.

We can't see it, hear it or feel it, but the body may still be listening.

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity

Some people describe a strong, distressing reaction to being near phones, Wi-Fi or other sources. This is known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity, or EHS. Common symptoms include:

• headaches and a feeling of pressure in the head
• fatigue, poor sleep and brain fog
• tingling, burning or prickling skin
• a racing heart, dizziness or ringing in the ears
• difficulty concentrating, anxiety and irritability (See Where Body Care Meets Mind.)

The World Health Organization accepts that these symptoms are real and can be truly disabling.¹⁴ In Sweden, EHS is recognised as a functional impairment, and some people have adapted their homes and workplaces to live with it. What remains unclear is the cause. In carefully controlled tests where people didn't know whether a signal was switched on, most couldn't tell, and their symptoms appeared whether the field was real or not.¹⁵

The power of expectation

One explanation is the nocebo effect: when expecting harm brings on real symptoms. (See The Belief Effect.) In the provocation studies, symptoms appeared when people believed a signal was on, whether or not it really was. In one striking experiment, volunteers who watched a television report about the dangers of Wi-Fi before a fake exposure reported more symptoms afterwards, and were more likely to go on to consider themselves sensitive, especially if they were already anxious.¹⁶

This doesn't mean the symptoms are imagined. The nocebo effect works through the same nervous system, stress hormones and pain pathways as any other trigger, and the headaches, racing heart and exhaustion it produces are entirely real. It also fits with what we know about central sensitisation (below): a nervous system on high alert, primed to notice threat, will amplify any signal it has learned to fear. Nor does it settle the separate question of the longer-term biological effects described above, which research continues to explore.

In many ways, this is hopeful news. If expectation can turn symptoms up, calming the nervous system and easing fear can help turn them down. That's why, at Rootwise, we pair sensible, practical steps with gentle work on the nervous system, rather than adding to anxiety.

A nervous system on high alert

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity often appears alongside other sensitivity conditions. It overlaps a great deal with ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome), fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivity, and many people live with more than one.¹⁷ (See Switching Off the Alarm.)

A common thread is central sensitisation. Here, the brain and nervous system turn up the volume on incoming signals, so that sounds, smells, touch, light or chemicals that wouldn't trouble most people are felt as painful or deeply distressing. Research in these conditions also points to low-grade inflammation in the brain and nervous system, oxidative stress, and mitochondria that struggle to produce enough energy.¹⁸ When the body's cells are under this kind of strain, there is very little in reserve to cope with any extra stress from the outside world.

Whatever the cause, the suffering is real, and it deserves to be taken seriously. At Rootwise, we look at the whole picture. People who react strongly to their environment often have a nervous system that is already on high alert, from stress, poor sleep, a heavy chemical load, gut problems or a disturbed cortisol rhythm. Calming the nervous system and supporting the body as a whole can make a real difference, alongside sensible steps to reduce exposure.

Simple ways to reduce your exposure

Most of the best steps are free, and none of them asks you to give up modern life:

• Keep your distance. Use speakerphone or wired earphones for calls, rather than holding the phone to your head.
• Keep your phone off your body. Carry it in a bag rather than a pocket or bra.
• Make your bedroom a low-signal zone. Put your phone on aeroplane mode at night, or leave it outside the bedroom. Move chargers, plugs and cables away from the head of the bed.
• Turn off the Wi-Fi at night. A simple plug-in timer can do it for you.
• Plug in where you can. A wired (ethernet) connection to your computer or TV is fast and gives off no wireless signal.
• Mind the signal strength. When the signal is weak, such as in a lift or a moving car, your phone works harder and gives off more. Save long calls for when you have good reception.
• Switch off what you're not using. Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on devices when you don't need them.
• Protect the children. Keep tablets and phones away from babies' cots, use aeroplane mode for games and videos, and keep baby monitors at a distance.
• Get outside. Time in nature, away from screens, is one of the best ways to let a busy nervous system settle.

Grounding: reconnecting with the Earth

For almost all of human history, we walked barefoot and slept on the ground. Today, rubber soles and raised beds keep us almost permanently insulated from the Earth's surface. Grounding, or earthing, means reconnecting, either by walking barefoot on grass, sand or soil, or by using a grounding mat or sheet connected to the earth.

The research is still at an early stage, but it's intriguing. Early studies suggest grounding may help calm inflammation, ease pain and improve sleep.¹⁹ In one small study, people who slept grounded for eight weeks reported better sleep and less pain and stress, and their cortisol followed a healthier daily rhythm.²⁰ In another, just two hours of grounding made red blood cells carry more of a natural negative charge, so they repelled one another and clumped together less, making the blood less viscous. Thicker, more viscous blood is a recognised factor in heart disease, so this is an exciting finding, although the study involved only ten people and needs repeating on a larger scale.²¹ Larger studies are needed, but walking barefoot outdoors is free, pleasant and costs nothing to try.

Tools that can help

Alongside the free steps above, some people find these products helpful:

• Grounding mats and sheets, for sleeping, working at a desk or relaxing. These must be plugged into a properly earthed socket, or connected to a rod in the ground outside.
• Shielding fabrics and clothing, such as bed canopies, hats, throws and garments woven with fine silver or copper threads, which help reflect radiofrequency signals.
• An EMF meter, which shows where the strongest fields in your home are, so you can make the changes that matter most.
• Ethernet cables and Wi-Fi timers: simple, inexpensive ways to cut your wireless exposure at home.

A word of caution: be wary of small "anti-radiation" stickers and pendants for phones. There is no good evidence they work. And a case that blocks your phone's signal on every side can make it work harder to stay connected, and give off more. Well-designed shielding cases shield only the side facing your body, leaving the other side free to connect. Buy from reputable suppliers who explain clearly what their products do.

At Rootwise, we see reducing everyday EMF exposure as one part of lightening the body's overall load, alongside good food, deep sleep and a calmer nervous system. If you feel wired and tired, we'll help you find the changes that make the biggest difference.