Nidra
Sleep in Ayurveda: one of the three pillars of health alongside diet (ahara) and self-restraint (brahmacharya).
Nidra means "sleep" in Sanskrit. In classical Ayurvedic physiology, it is considered one of the trayopastambha, the three pillars on which health rests, alongside diet (ahara) and self-restraint (brahmacharya). Poor-quality sleep is therefore not seen as a mere inconvenience, but as a direct hit to one of the foundations of physical and mental balance.
Sleep is traditionally linked to building ojas, the essence of vitality that comes from good digestion: sleeping enough, at regular hours, is presented as one of the simplest ways to preserve this reserve of resistance to stress and infection. Conversely, chronic sleep deprivation is seen as one of the most direct paths to depleting ojas.
Sleep quality varies by dosha: excess Vata often brings light sleep and nighttime waking, excess Pitta brings waking in the middle of the night with an active mind, and excess Kapha brings heavy sleep and difficulty getting up in the morning. The evening routine, ratricharya, exists precisely to prepare a falling-asleep pattern suited to each profile.
A concrete example: going to bed before 11pm, in the dark and without screens, with a light dinner eaten several hours beforehand, are the most consistent traditional recommendations for supporting nidra, whatever the dominant dosha. Our guide to sleep in Ayurveda details these routines dosha by dosha.