Sleep is not inactivity but a distinct state of citta — what the Sutras call nidrā — essential for the consolidation of memory, the regulation of emotion, and the restoration of the nervous system. The relationship between sleep and mental health is bidirectional: disrupted sleep worsens every psychological condition, while every psychological condition tends to disrupt sleep. Understanding this relationship is foundational to any serious approach to mental wellbeing.
Each step builds on the last.