Simple Steps To Reduce EMF Exposure In The Home

What Is EMF

This article will show you some great tips you can utilise now to reduce your EMF exposure in the home and office.

If you have not checked out our post about EMF, check it out here.

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are invisible areas of energy, often referred to as radiation, associated with electrical power and various natural and artificial lighting forms.

These are 5 five most commonly talked about EMF types:

1. ELF radiation (extremely long frequencies)
2. RF radiation (radio frequencies)
3. Magnetic fields (from household wiring & electronic devices)
4. Electric fields (from household wiring & electronic devices)
5. Dirty electricity (from household wiring & electronic devices)

Check out this great write-up and explanation on the different types of EMF and MF Radiation Types: ELF, RF, EF, MF (Explained For Beginners).

The truth is that the long-term effects of high-frequency signal exposure from sources such as EMF radiation are still unknown because the general public has not been exposed to these types of frequencies for long periods.

This is why so many people are incorporating Faraday shielded blankets, curtains, clothing, rooms, and other products into their lives—they would rather be safe than sorry.

So until we have more information and research on the possible health effects, the best thing we can do is shield ourselves and take precautions against it.

What Can We Do About It?

All of this may seem overwhelming, but it does not have to be. There are many easy steps we can take that will dramatically reduce our daily exposure to these frequencies.

1. Switch Off Your Router Or Turn Off The WiFi

Switching off your cable modem or turning off the WiFi before you go to bed. This gives your parasympathetic nervous system a break. Night time can be the most crucial time to eliminate EMFs because they have been shown to interfere with the core goals of the parasympathetic nervous system during sleep: restore, rejuvenate, detoxify.

Also affecting our production of the hormone melatonin 

Melatonin is a hormone that your brain produces in response to darkness. It helps with the timing of your circadian rhythms (24-hour internal clock) and with sleep. 

Research suggests that melatonin plays other essential roles in the body beyond sleep. However, these effects are not fully understood.

Another great tip is to go into your router settings and turn down the broadcast strength. Most routers will allow you to do this.

And not to mention the added security benefit of not having your SSID WiFi name broadcasting far and wide, keeping your wireless network more isolated.

2. Use An Ethernet Cable

When possible, we can also switch to using an Ethernet cable instead of WiFi. Using only Ethernet may or may not be possible, depending on your situation.

Suppose your computer does not have an Ethernet port. In that case, USB adaptors can be purchased relatively cheaply for laptops, phones, tablets, and other devices, completely removing the need for WiFi.

If this is not possible, turn off the WiFi when not in use, particularly at night.

Ethernet does not broadcast a wireless network making it more secure to outside attacks.

3. Your Phone

Do not sleep with your phone near your bed.

If you use it as an alarm, you can put it on airplane mode and place it 5 feet or more from the mattress before going to bed.

Phones are the number one device we carry with us on a day-to-day basis, always by our side, not to mention a privacy nightmare.

Broadcasting Bluetooth, WiFi, NFC, and Cellular connections all pinging to the nearest cell tower.

Try to keep your mobile phone away from your body. Do not carry your phone in your pocket or bra. If you must do so, turn the phone off or set it to Airplane Mode first or look into purchasing an EMF blocking faraday bag that will solve both the EMF and Privacy issue at the same time.

If your children use devices to play games or read books, turn off the WiFi setting or turn on Airplane mode while in use.

Never use a cell phone near your head. Use the speakerphone or an air tube headset. 

4. Replace All Dimmer Switches In Your Home With Simple On/Off Switches

Dimmer switches can produce dirty electricity! This also includes ceiling fans. Use the fan pull chains to adjust fan level, not dimmer switches.

Dirty electricity is unusable electromagnetic energy that is produced by many electrical devices as they operate. It is caused by interruptions in the flow of regular 60-Hertz AC (alternating current) power travelling through wires and electrical systems in homes and other buildings. These interruptions result in voltage spikes, surges, and frequency variations (also called high-frequency voltage transients) that combine to form a complex and potentially harmful electromagnetic field.

5. Make Sure Your Home Does Not Use A Smart Meter Or Smart Water Meter

Call your local energy and water company and find out if you have already had one and if so, make sure to opt-out and go back to the analogue meters. It costs a bit more per month, but it is worth it if you are trying to reduce EMF exposure. If you do not have an option to get rid of your Smart Meter, make or buy an EMF blocking cover for it.

Like this one by Mission Darkness. 

6. Do Not Use Wireless, Digital, Or Video Baby Monitors

Children are far more vulnerable to EMF radiation than adults due to developing immune systems and brains.

As well-controlled EMF experiments in children are nearly impossible, scientific knowledge should be interpreted objectively. Therefore, preventive approaches are recommended for children until the potential health effects of EMF are confirmed.

7. Make The Invisible Visible

While ignorance may be bliss at times, it is not so when it comes to EMFs. Even though most of us don't see, hear, feel, smell or taste EMF, it does not mean that it is not present.

An EMF meter makes the invisible EMFs visible and helps you understand not just the sources of EMFs but the degree of radiation each source is emitting. Armed with this device, you will be better able to gauge the effectiveness of your avoidance and reduction measures.

Conclusion

To date, Sweden and Germany recognise electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) as an actual medical condition. Research is estimated that at least 3% of people are hypersensitive to EMFs, but that does not mean that even though we are not part of that 3% group, we should not at least take the proper steps now to reduce how much we are exposed to.

So until we have more information and research on the possible health effects, the best thing we can do is shield ourselves against it.

We hope you find these tips helpful in creating a home/work environment that is conducive to both your productivity and health.