The simple answer to this questions is: levels most closely aligned with nature.
In discussing what are healthy EMF levels, we can look at 3 separate types of fields:
- Electric Fields
- Magnetic Fields
- RF (Radio Frequency) or High-Frequency Fields
Electric and Magnetic fields can be measured separately at lower frequencies and this is how they’re found within our homes. It’s through our electrical wiring and devices connected to this that we find these fields. High-Frequency Fields are found in all of our wireless technology and at these higher frequencies, electric and magnetic fields combine and become airborne. All 3 of these fields act differently and require different strategies to fix.
So, what are healthy EMF levels for all of these different fields? The Building Biology Institute in Germany has conducted research, for decades, on answering this very question. Also, reports such as the BioInitiative Report shed light on what are healthy EMF levels. The Building Biology Institute’s “Guidelines for Sleeping Areas” gives the following recommendations:
Nature is the Gold Standard
Traveling to a remote area and testing electric, magnetic and RF fields, will give you readings much closer to the ideal range. Nature is always the gold standard. Anyone that’s spent a few nights camping outside, away from technology, can attest to how good this feels
The Earth has its own magnetic and electric fields and nature depends on these frequencies, like birds using magnetic field information to migrate. However, we’ve added many frequencies to our indoor environments, often billions of times stronger than natural levels, and it hasn’t been without consequence.
For more information on how our health and the environment has been affected by these frequencies, I highly recommend a book by Arthur Firstenberg called, “The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life.”
Our homes are often a far cry from the natural levles found in the “ideal” range above. However, the good news is we can all start working towards healthy EMF levels right away!
Bedroom: The Most Important Room in the House
For an in-depth analysis of your EMF levels testing is required (find an expert here). However, there’s plenty that can be done without testing. Many practices can be implemented right away to lower your exposure and move towards healthy EMF levels.
The most important area in your house to clean up, electromagnetically speaking, is the bedroom. This is the place where we spend 1/3 of day and it’s during sleep that our bodies rejuvenate and repair themselves. Ensuing the healthiest possible bedroom environment, including healthy EMF levels, is a vital step in more restful, healing sleep.
2 Tips For Healthy EMF Levels in the Bedroom
1. Unplug Devices Around Your Bed
Lamps, chargers, clock radios (opt for a battery operated one instead), unplug anything that’s plugged in within an 8 foot radius of your bed. Live electrical wires and devices are going to expose you to electric and possibly magnetic fields as you sleep. Unplugging devices and moving cords away from your bed is a good step towards healthy EMF levels.
Unplugging devices from the wall before you go to sleep is one option, or if something doesn’t need to be plugged in near you, you can move it to the other side of the room. There are also remote shut-off switches, like the ones below. These can be used to kill power to anything, including the cord, that is plugged in near you.
2. Sleep With Your Phone Far Away, On Airplane Mode
Switching your phone to airplane mode (and ensuring Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are off) is great way to quiet the RF signals from your phone at night. If you need to keep your phone on during the night, the farther away the better. RF signal strength deceases significantly with distance. You can also add in a properly used shielding device too. See my article on “Safer Cell Phone Use” for more info.
Healthy EMF levels are those which are closer to our natural, outdoor levels. These are the conditions in which we have evolved with and are best able to thrive. Even though we usually live in spaces saturated with unnatural EMF’s, there are many fixes available to us! We can all work towards healthy EMF levels – the power lies with you!
