A new study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology has revealed that poor sleep quality in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is more closely tied to underlying inflammation than to symptoms reported by patients. This finding could open new doors for the use of wearable technology in monitoring disease activity in IBD.

The research, led by Dr. Robert P. Hirten from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, assessed how inflammation and patient-reported symptoms impact sleep architecture — the structure and quality of sleep. The study involved 101 adults with IBD who wore sleep-tracking devices for an average of 228 nights. These devices recorded sleep patterns including time spent in different sleep stages such as light, deep, and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.

To evaluate inflammation, the researchers measured biomarkers including C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and fecal calprotectin. Symptom data were collected through patient-reported outcome surveys.

The results showed a clear pattern: during periods of active inflammation, patients spent less time in REM sleep and more time in light sleep, suggesting a disruption in restorative sleep. Interestingly, these changes were not observed during periods with only symptoms but no biological evidence of inflammation.

“Our findings are crucial because they suggest that poor sleep may be related to active inflammatory disease, even when patients are not reporting symptoms,” Dr. Hirten said in a statement. “This approach opens new possibilities for how wearable devices can monitor health events and track sleep in chronic diseases.”

The study highlights the potential of using wearable technology as a non-invasive tool to detect hidden flares of inflammation in IBD patients, even when clinical symptoms are absent — potentially improving disease monitoring and management.

However, the authors also noted that some members of the research team have ties to the pharmaceutical industry, a common disclosure in clinical studies.

As interest in remote health monitoring grows, this study reinforces the emerging role of digital health tools in understanding chronic conditions like IBD — where symptoms and biological disease activity often don’t go hand in hand.