40 Winks contributor

Mark Hansen

Mark writes practical guides about sleep, grounding and earthing, supplements, and emerging wellness technology for 40 Winks.

Editorial approach

Mark's articles aim to make complicated sleep and wellness topics easier to understand. Health claims should be supported by credible sources, product relationships are disclosed, and material updates are reflected in each article's updated date.

40 Winks provides general educational information, not medical advice. For symptoms, diagnoses, treatment choices, or changes to a prescribed therapy, consult a qualified healthcare professional. Learn more about our standards on the About page.

Articles by Mark Hansen

Where to Plug in a Grounding Mat
Grounding·3 min read

Where to Plug in a Grounding Mat

A grounding mat provides many positive benefits to lower stress, reduce fatigue, reduce chronic pain and inflammation, and more. However, without a grounding mat's ability to transfer electrons into the body, it would be just like any other ordinary...

Amethyst Grounding Mats: What Are They & What Do They Do?
Grounding·4 min read

Amethyst Grounding Mats: What Are They & What Do They Do?

Grounding mats are a great way to indirectly transfer electrons into the body from Earth's surface while indoors. While an ordinary grounding mat can be a good way to experience the benefits of grounding, having an amethyst grounding mat is one way...

How Long Does A Grounding Mat Last?
Grounding·4 min read

How Long Does A Grounding Mat Last?

A grounding mat can be an effective way to balance your body's electrical energy. However, your grounding mat must work properly to ensure your body is experiencing the full effects of grounding. Failure to take care of your grounding mat over time...

Grounding Mat for Your Car: Do You Need One?
Grounding·4 min read

Grounding Mat for Your Car: Do You Need One?

Grounding mats are a versatile product to help neutralise free radicals in your body to improve your health and well-being. Whether you use your grounding mat while you sleep or while you exercise, there are several ways to ground indoors. You can...

Can Grounding Mats Cause Headaches?
Grounding·4 min read

Can Grounding Mats Cause Headaches?

Grounding mats are known for providing several physiological and psychological health benefits from reducing stress to improving energy levels, and more. Grounding products, like grounding mats, have also been found to relieve headaches. This is...

How Do You Know If Your Grounding Mat Is Working?
Grounding·4 min read

How Do You Know If Your Grounding Mat Is Working?

A grounding mat can help improve your overall physical and mental health. From decreasing stress and anxiety to increasing energy levels and more, as long as your grounding mat is working, it can significantly improve your quality of life. However,...

Grounding Mouse Mat (Mouse Pad)
Grounding·4 min read

Grounding Mouse Mat (Mouse Pad)

In today's digital world, the human body is constantly overexposed to positive electrical energy thanks to the use of smartphones and other electronic devices. This excess of positive energy in the body ultimately creates an electrical imbalance...

Is Cork a Grounding Material?
Grounding·3 min read

Is Cork a Grounding Material?

There's nothing like walking barefoot on a sandy beach or grass to experience the full effects of direct grounding at work. Yet, walking barefoot on the ground isn't always practical. However, that doesn't mean you can't successfully ground with...

What are Grounding Mats Made Of?
Grounding·4 min read

What are Grounding Mats Made Of?

Unlike ordinary mats, grounding mats are made of conductive materials essential to effectively transfer electrical energy. Conductivity is critical for any grounding equipment, including a grounding mat. This is because the conductive material...

How to Clean Your Grounding Mat
Grounding·3 min read

How to Clean Your Grounding Mat

A grounding mat can be an effective way to balance your body's electrical energy. No matter how you use your grounding mat, from sleeping to exercising and more, there's no denying that at some point, you'll want to clean your grounding mat....

Why Is My Grounding Mat Not Working?
Grounding·4 min read

Why Is My Grounding Mat Not Working?

Using grounding equipment, such as a grounding mat, can provide numerous physiological and psychological health benefits. For those who consistently use a grounding mat, these benefits can often appear as noticeable changes over time. However, if...

Do Grounding Mats Work Through Clothes?
Grounding·4 min read

Do Grounding Mats Work Through Clothes?

Whether you are using your grounding mat for yoga or while you sleep, chances are you're wearing some article of clothing. Grounding is best with direct skin contact; however, sometimes it may not be comfortable or practical. Yet, you can still reap...

Can You Wear Socks on a Grounding Mat?
Grounding·3 min read

Can You Wear Socks on a Grounding Mat?

There's no denying that going barefoot on a grounding mat will always be the best way to experience optimal grounding results. However, if you feel more comfortable wearing socks while you use your grounding mat, you can still successfully ground...

Do Grounding Mats Work for Dogs?
Grounding·3 min read

Do Grounding Mats Work for Dogs?

Humans aren't the only ones that can benefit from grounding. Grounding equipment for dogs like grounding beds and mats provides the perfect opportunity to neutralize your dog's electrical charge. Pets can experience an imbalance of electrical energy...

How Does a Grounding Yoga Mat Work?
Grounding·4 min read

How Does a Grounding Yoga Mat Work?

A grounding yoga mat is a medium that allows your body to be exposed to Earth's negative electrical energy while indoors. Humans over-consume positive electrical energy every day through the use of electronic devices. This hyper exposure results in...

What Is a Grounding Yoga Mat?
Grounding·4 min read

What Is a Grounding Yoga Mat?

Yoga mats provide a reliable, non-slip cushion for users to work on their health and wellness regime. While yoga poses and other yoga mat exercises are great for the body, a grounding yoga mat provides an extra benefit that traditional yoga mats...

Grounding Yoga Mat Benefits
Grounding·5 min read

Grounding Yoga Mat Benefits

The human body is exposed to excess positive electrical energy daily. Whether scrolling on your smartphone or working on your laptop, it's nearly impossible to eliminate positive electrical energy sources from your body in today's digital age....

How Does a Grounding Blanket Work?
Grounding·5 min read

How Does a Grounding Blanket Work?

The Earth's surface is home to an endless supply of negative electrical energy. Thanks to the rather abrupt arrival of the digital age, the human body is constantly hyper-exposed to electronic devices that transfer unnatural levels of positive...

What Is a Grounding Blanket?
Grounding·4 min read

What Is a Grounding Blanket?

Standing barefoot on the Earth's surface is an effective way for the body to naturally receive electrons directly from the ground. However, sometimes being outdoors and having direct skin contact with the ground isn't practical for many people. Yet,...

Can You Ground Through a Blanket?
Grounding·4 min read

Can You Ground Through a Blanket?

Blankets provide the perfect portable layer you can take virtually anywhere you go. Whether you choose to lay on a blanket outside on the grass or cuddle up in a blanket indoors, blankets have great versatility, especially when it comes to...

How Does a Grounding Pillowcase Work?
Grounding·4 min read

How Does a Grounding Pillowcase Work?

A grounding or earthing pillowcase provides the indirect ability for your body to connect to the Earth's surface. Today, the human body now more than ever before is exposed daily to an influx of positive electrical charge. This excess of positive...

What Is a Grounding Pillowcase?
Grounding·4 min read

What Is a Grounding Pillowcase?

A grounding pillowcase provides the opportunity to physically connect to the Earth's surface, without needing to be outdoors! The Earth's surface has negative electrical energy. However, unless you have direct contact with the Earth's surface, such...

Grounding Pillowcase Benefits
Grounding·5 min read

Grounding Pillowcase Benefits

The world today is filled with a surplus of positive energy sources. From the phone you spend way too much time on, the laptop where you do the majority (if not all) of your work, there's no escaping your body's constant exposure to positive...

Best Grounding Blankets
Grounding·15 min read

Best Grounding Blankets

Grounding blankets are a new way to get the grounding energy you need. Grounding is the idea that everyone needs time outside. Not only to get beneficial sunlight, but to set their feet into the soil, instead of an unnatural floor. This links you...

Choosing the Best Pillow for Sleep Apnea
Grounding·12 min read

Choosing the Best Pillow for Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a kind of sleep disorder in which breathing is suddenly interrupted during sleep. When this happens, the rest of the body and brain is being starved of oxygen. And we're not just talking one single time every now and then...

Grounding Mat Side Effects
Grounding·6 min read

Grounding Mat Side Effects

The popular practice of Earthing, also known as grounding, involves connecting the body to the Earth's surface, usually through walking barefoot on grass, sand, or dirt or using conductive materials like mats, sheets, or patches. Although Earthing...

Why Can't I Sleep?: 5 Reasons AND 19 Solutions
Sleep Tips·19 min read

Why Can't I Sleep?: 5 Reasons AND 19 Solutions

Getting enough sleep may be the single most important thing you can do for your body.This is why we have put together the ultimate guide to creating your personal sleep cocoon that you can use to get to sleep faster, sleep better and maximize your health!

Best Chamomile Supplement for Sleep
Supplements·7 min read

Best Chamomile Supplement for Sleep

For thousands of years, herbal remedies have been used with great success across the globe. Renowned not only for their ability to treat disease and illness, but to also enhance health and function in an extremely positive manner as well....