WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

*Dr. Sachin Borkar, Dr. Rajiv Mundhane, Dr. Trupti Ukey

ABSTRACT

Background: Lifestyle-related disorders, sleep disturbances, and circadian rhythm disruption have emerged as major public health concerns worldwide. Ayurveda emphasizes the preservation of health through Swasthavritta, among which Ratricharya (night regimen) constitutes an essential component that governs healthy conduct from evening until awakening. Classical Ayurvedic texts describe a series of practices including timely evening meals, postprandial walking, oral hygiene, regulated sexual conduct, adequate sleep, and avoidance of night vigil to maintain physiological and psychological well-being. Despite their potential relevance to contemporary healthcare, these principles remain relatively underexplored in modern scientific literature. Objective: To comprehensively review the concept of Ratricharya described in classical Ayurvedic literature and critically correlate its principles with contemporary scientific evidence, highlighting its role in health promotion, disease prevention, and integrative lifestyle medicine. Materials and Methods: A narrative review was conducted using classical Ayurvedic texts, including Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Ashtanga Hridaya, Ashtanga Sangraha, Kashyapa Samhita, Bhavaprakasha, and other relevant treatises. Contemporary literature was retrieved from electronic databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and the Cochrane Library using keywords related to Ratricharya, sleep hygiene, circadian rhythm, chronobiology, and lifestyle medicine. Relevant literature was critically analysed and synthesized thematically. Discussion: Classical Ayurvedic recommendations regarding the timing and quality of the evening meal, postprandial activities, oral hygiene, regulated sexual conduct, restorative sleep, and avoidance of prolonged night vigil demonstrate substantial conceptual agreement with current evidence in chronobiology, sleep medicine, and chrononutrition. Emerging scientific evidence indicates that synchronization of behavioural activities with endogenous circadian rhythms supports metabolic regulation, endocrine balance, immune function, cognitive performance, and psychological well-being. However, comprehensive scientific evaluation of Ratricharya as an integrated lifestyle intervention remains limited. Conclusion: Ratricharya represents a holistic Ayurvedic framework for aligning nighttime behaviour with natural biological rhythms. The available evidence suggests that its principles are scientifically plausible and highly relevant to contemporary preventive and lifestyle medicine. Further interdisciplinary research and well-designed clinical studies are warranted to strengthen the evidence base and facilitate the integration of Ratricharya into modern healthcare practices.

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