Vitality and immunity

Sleep, energy, stress and the routine checks that matter for overall health.

Feeling well depends on sleep, nutrition, physical activity and stress being in reasonable balance. Long working hours, travel across time zones, highly processed food and late screen use can all upset that balance. In Ayurveda, herbs traditionally used to support strength and recovery are called rasayanas.

Cells make energy in their mitochondria, a process that relies on oxygen and on nutrients including B vitamins, magnesium and iron. Vitamins A, C and D and the mineral zinc are needed for normal immune function. The hormone melatonin helps signal when it is time to sleep.

What strains it

Short or irregular sleep
Chronic stress
Diets low in micronutrients
Recovery after illness or surgery
Lifestyle conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure

Habits that protect it

Keep a regular sleep and wake time, even at weekends
Get morning daylight
Eat a rainbow of foods across the week
Move every day
Make time for stillness, whether yoga, pranayama or a quiet walk

See a doctor if you notice

Tiredness that does not improve with rest
Unexplained weight change
Frequent infections
Low mood that lasts more than two weeks

The health journey

Your health journey

Six stages, and where to find help at each one. Scroll sideways on smaller screens.

01 Lifestyle

Short or irregular sleep
Chronic stress
Diets low in micronutrients

02 Early signals

Tiredness that does not improve with rest
Unexplained weight change
Frequent infections

03 Understanding

04 Testing

Blood pressure
HbA1c or fasting glucose
Lipid profile
Haemoglobin and thyroid function

05 Management

Keep a regular sleep and wake time, even at weekends
Get morning daylight
Eat a rainbow of foods across the week

06 Long-term wellbeing

Regular check-ups, as your doctor advises
Revisit the health checks
Formulations for the vitality and immunity

Which routine health checks are right for my age?
Could my tiredness have a medical cause, such as anaemia or thyroid problems?
Are any vitamin levels worth testing?

Lifestyle conditions

One in three Indian adults lives with high blood pressure

101 million Indians living with diabetes

The ICMR-INDIAB study estimated that 101 million Indians live with diabetes and another 136 million with prediabetes, while 315 million have high blood pressure. Abdominal obesity, a waist that is too wide for height, was the most common finding of all. Most of these conditions develop silently for years, which is why regular checks matter more than symptoms.

The largest national study of metabolic health in India measured more than a hundred thousand adults across every state.

Abdominal obesity39.5%

High blood pressure35.5%

Generalised obesity28.6%

Prediabetes15.3%

Diabetes11.4%

View the data as a table

Group	Share of adults
Abdominal obesity	39.5%
High blood pressure	35.5%
Generalised obesity	28.6%
Prediabetes	15.3%
Diabetes	11.4%

Source: Anjana RM et al. ICMR-INDIAB. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2023
Source last verified 8 October 2026 · Download the data (CSV)

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The shift

Two in three deaths in India are now caused by noncommunicable diseases

66 in 100 deaths are from noncommunicable diseases

This is the health transition: as infections are controlled, long-term conditions shaped by diet, activity, tobacco, alcohol and air quality take their place. Many of these conditions can be prevented or delayed, which is why everyday habits and early screening matter so much.

Heart disease, cancers, chronic lung disease and diabetes have overtaken infections as India's leading causes of death.

Each dot is one in a hundred.

66% · Noncommunicable diseases

View the data as a table

Group	Noncommunicable diseases
Noncommunicable diseases	66%

Source: World Health Organization. Invisible numbers: the true extent of noncommunicable diseases, 2022
Source last verified 8 October 2026 · Download the data (CSV)

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Evidence library

Research

Appraised studies relevant to the vitality and immunity, including results that did not support a treatment.

Randomised controlled trial Supportive

Ashwagandha root extract and perceived stress in adults

An early, encouraging signal for one standardised extract. It does not tell us how ashwagandha performs over the long term or how different products compare.

Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 2012 · 64 participants · Ashwagandha

Systematic review and meta-analysis Supportive