Study Finds Inflammatory Bowel Disease Impacts REM Sleep and May Signal Flares

Researchers from Mount Sinai have pioneered a groundbreaking study utilizing wearable technology to monitor how inflammation and symptoms in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) influence sleep patterns over time. IBD, which encompasses conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, involves inflammation along the digestive tract and can cause flare-ups characterized by symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bleeding. Notably, these symptoms can sometimes occur without actual inflammation.

This study, the first of its kind, involved over 100 IBD patients wearing popular wearable devices like Apple Watches, Fitbits, and Oura Rings for more than seven months on average. Data collected included various sleep metrics, such as sleep stages, total sleep hours, and the percentage of time spent asleep. Alongside this, patients provided daily symptom surveys and blood tests measuring inflammation markers.

The findings revealed that significant changes in sleep, especially reductions in REM sleep and increases in lighter sleep stages, occurred exclusively when active inflammation was present, independent of symptom reports. These sleep alterations tend to precede clinical flare-ups, indicating potential for sleep metrics as early warning signs of disease exacerbation.

Further analysis showed that sleep disturbances worsened during inflammatory flare-ups and improved afterward, creating a clear pattern that could be used to forecast upcoming disease activity. Dr. Robert Hirten, the study’s lead author, emphasized the importance of these findings, stating that monitoring sleep with consumer wearable devices offers a non-invasive, real-time method to track inflammation and disease progression.

This research opens new doors for continuous health monitoring, particularly in managing chronic diseases like IBD. It also highlights the broader potential of wearable technology to detect subtle physiological changes related to ongoing inflammation and disease activity, facilitating earlier interventions and personalized treatment strategies.

Overall, this innovative approach underscores the promise of passive, continuous sleep monitoring in chronic disease management and could transform how clinicians predict and respond to disease flares in the future.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-wearable-device-ibd-inflammation-rem