Leveraging Wearable Devices for IBS Self Management, with Michelle Guan, MD

Wearable devices may serve as valuable self-management tools encouraging greater levels of physical activity and improved sleep among patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to findings from a recent study.

The data were presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2025 by Michelle Guan, MD, an internal medicine resident at the University of California Los Angeles, and highlight a significant association between increased daily step count and median hours of sleep as measured by a Fitbit device with reduced IBS symptom severity.

“Wearable devices like the Fitbit really offer a unique and objective way to track factors that are deeply connected to IBS symptom management, especially sleep,” Guan explained to HCPLive, describing how although patients frequently self-report sleep issues, wearables can provide a more accurate picture of sleep quality, including metrics like REM and deep sleep, to uncover some of the physiological patterns tied to symptom flares and offer actionable insights for self management.

She and colleagues note that monitoring step count and sleep data using wearable devices may be cost-effective and easily accessible for patients but cite a lack of data using commercially available wearable devices such as the Fitbit. Seeking to address this gap in research, they recruited IBS and healthy participants to wear a Fitbit device for 14 days to capture their daily step count and sleep data. Participants also completed questionnaires to assess IBS symptoms using NIH GI PROMIS, self-reported sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PROMIS Sleep), and current anxiety and depression symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale).

In total, the study enrolled 20 patients with IBS and 20 controls. Predominant IBS subtypes included diarrhea (45%), constipation (30%), and mixed (25%).

Although there were no significant differences in Fitbit step count between the IBS and control groups, within the IBS group, investigators noted increased 7-day median step count was significantly associated with decreased median abdominal pain (P = .005) and diarrhea (P =.004) scores. Additionally, while there were no differences in the duration of sleep stages and number of nightly awakenings between IBS and controls, in participants with IBS, increased median of hours slept across 7 days detected by Fitbit was associated with less abdominal pain (P = .023).

Of note, when comparing self-reported versus Fitbit-measured mean hours slept for all participants, individuals significantly overestimated the total hours of sleep by Fitbit (P <.0001).

“This research suggests that enhancing REM sleep may be a valuable target in IBS management strategies and wearable devices offer a real-time objective data capturing ability that both patients and clinicians can then use to monitor sleep quality and then correlate it with symptom changes,” Guan explained.

Looking ahead, she expresses interest in studies using larger and more diverse patient populations to validate her findings and potentially explore causality. Guan also points to the value of assessing interventions that directly aim to increase REM sleep and longitudinal studies looking at the impact of sleep improvement on sustained symptom relief.

Editors’ note: Guan does not have any relevant disclosures.

Reference

1. Guan M, LeBrett WG, Cortessis R, et al. STEP COUNT AND SLEEP MEASURED BY WEARABLE DEVICE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME. Abstract presented at Digestive Disease Week 2025 in San Diego, CA, from May 3 - May 6, 2025.