SOCIAL MEDIA OVERUSE AS A POTENTIAL NIDANA FOR VATA PRAKOPA: AN INTEGRATIVE AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Ayurveda describes health as a dynamic equilibrium among the three doshas—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha—which govern physiological and psychological functions. Vata, composed primarily of Akash (space) and Vayu (air), regulates body like breathing, circulation, sensory perception, neuro- muscular activity, neural regulation, excretion and mental functions(like-enthusiasm, creativity, alertness, quick thinking).All these actions are essential for healthy body functioning. When Vata becomes aggravated (Vata vriddhi or Vata prakopa), clinical features such as restlessness, insomnia, anxiety, irregular appetite, dryness, fatigue, and impaired concentration commonly emerge. Contemporary lifestyles are increasingly dominated by social media platforms that encourage continuous engagement, rapid information switching, and prolonged screen exposure. Modern research associates excessive digital media use with psychological stress, sleep disruption, attention fragmentation, irritability, and anxiety—symptoms that closely relate to Ayurvedic descriptions of Vata imbalance. This integrative review examines parallels between Ayurvedic Vata pathophysiology and modern psychobehavioral literature on social media use. By mapping shared symptoms, changing lifestyle and potential preventive strategies, the article proposes a cross-disciplinary framework for understanding digital overuse as a contributing factor to Vata-type lifestyle disorders.