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Background: The Charaka Samhita names three supports of life, trayopastambha: ahara (food), nidra (sleep) and brahmacharya (regulated sexual and sensory conduct). They are held to sustain the body when rightly used and to cause disease when misused. Objective: To review the classical statements on the three pillars, their relation to the doshas and to health, and their relevance to public health, in the light of modern evidence on diet, sleep and lifestyle. Methods: Classical texts were studied in translation. PubMed was searched in November 2026 for papers on trayopastambha, sleep and lifestyle in Ayurveda, and for selected modern reviews on sleep and health. Results: Charaka describes ahara as the primary support, with rules for its quality, quantity and timing; nidra as a cause of happiness, nourishment, strength and knowledge when proper, and of the opposite when improper; and brahmacharya as regulation of sexual and sensory indulgence. Modern studies show that both short and long sleep duration are associated with increased mortality, and that consensus guidance recommends at least seven hours of sleep for adults. Public health applications of Ayurveda emphasise prevention and lifestyle. Conclusion: Trayopastambha offers a compact framework for lifestyle medicine. Its pillars are consistent with major modern determinants of health, although specific classical prescriptions require testing.