Mount Sinai researchers have unveiled a study using wearable technology to explore the connection between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and sleep disruption.
The study received support from the National Institutes of Health.
It suggests that changes in sleep patterns, particularly reduced REM sleep and increased light sleep, could serve as non-invasive markers of inflammation and potentially predict flare-ups in IBD patients.
Published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the research shows that significant sleep changes only occur when inflammation is present, not merely due to symptoms.
The discovery represents a shift from previous studies that primarily relied on short-term and subjective sleep assessments.
Involving over 100 participants with IBD, the study used wearable devices like Apple Watches, Fitbits, and Oura Rings over an average of seven months.
The data collected included sleep stages, the percentage of time spent asleep while in bed, and total hours asleep.
Daily symptom surveys and laboratory inflammation markers were also gathered.
The researchers conducted longitudinal mapping of sleep patterns before, during, and after disease exacerbations.
They analysed sleep data for six weeks before and after flare episodes, finding that sleep disturbances worsened before inflammatory flares and improved afterwards.
It suggests that sleep changes might indicate upcoming increased disease activity.
The study underscores the potential of consumer-grade wearable devices for continuous and passive sleep observation, which could revolutionise real-time disease monitoring.
The research also highlights the potential of wearables in capturing subtle physiological changes linked to chronic diseases, advancing precision medicine and preventive care.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai gastroenterology, artificial intelligence and human health associate professor of medicine Robert Hirten said: “This is the first study to longitudinally map objective sleep patterns before, during, and after IBD flares using wearable technologies, offering a new, non-invasive way to monitor disease activity and explore how poor sleep and inflammation are connected.
“Our findings are crucial because they suggest that poor sleep may be related to active inflammatory disease, even when patients are not reporting symptoms.
“This approach opens new possibilities for how wearable devices can monitor health events and track sleep in chronic diseases.”
