Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol

Wearables reveal disrupted sleep patterns in active IBD

July 3, 2025

Sleep disruption in IBD appears driven by inflammatory activity, not symptoms alone, highlighting sleep metrics as a potential marker of subclinical disease.

Study details: Adults with diagnosed, medicated IBD participated in an observational study involving daily symptom surveys and continuous sleep tracking via wearable devices. Sleep duration, efficiency, and architecture were analyzed alongside standard-of-care inflammatory markers. Researchers compared sleep metrics during symptomatic and inflammatory flares vs. remission and examined changes in sleep 45 days before and after flare events.

Results: Among 101 participants contributing an average of 228 nights of data, active inflammation was linked to reduced REM sleep and increased light sleep. Sleep architecture changes were only observed during inflammatory flares, not symptomatic ones. Additionally, the rate of change in deep and light sleep varied significantly before and after flare events.

Source:

Hirten RP, et al. (2025, June 23). Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. Wearable Devices Identify Altered Sleep Characteristics and Sleep Trajectories in Active Inflammatory Bowel Disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40581072/