IBD patients face increased risk of REM sleep behavior disorder: Study
A new study published in the Nature Partner Journals Parkinson's disease showed that REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) was 3-times as common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) when compared to controls.
Loss of muscular atonia during REM sleep causes dream-enactment activities, which is a defining feature of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD), a parasomnia. There is growing evidence that sleep problems and chronic inflammatory disorders are related. Because of inflammation, drug side effects, and psychological stress, patients with IBD, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, may have worse sleep quality. Evaluating these relationships an help in better understanding of the neuroinflammatory processes that link gut and brain health, which might help IBD patients control their sleep and live better lives overall.
The prevalence of RBD in IBD and controls was evaluated using a cross-sectional approach. The RBD Single-Question Screen (RBD1Q), the RBD-Screening Questionnaire, and IBD-related history questionnaires were completed by 462 IBD patients and 158 controls. Chi-squared testing was used to compare the prevalence of RBD. After controlling for age, sex, race, and antidepressant use, logistic regression was used to examine IBD-related characteristics linked to RBD (RBD1Q).
Due to variations in women, the prevalence of RBD was greater in IBD patients (14.1% vs. 5.1%; P = 0.002); 13.3% of IBD patients and 1.0% of controls had RBD. RBD was present in 11.9% of controls and 16.0% of IBD in men. >threefold RBD chances were linked to IBD (OR = 3.08, 95% CI [1.43, 6.62], P = 0.003).
Hospitalization rates for IBD were greater in men with RBD and IBD than in IBD males without RBD (95.2% vs. 63.0%; P = 0.004). RBD is linked to severe IBD and is more common in IBD than in controls.
Overall, the greater frequency of RBD among IBD patients found in this study adds to the knowledge of how gastrointestinal inflammation may lead to neurodegeneration and is consistent with the larger body of research on Parkinson's disease. Also, the same pro-inflammatory cytokine profiles and compromised epithelial barrier seen in PD and IBD point to a potential mechanism, bolstering theories on the part gut–brain interactions play in neurodegeneration.
Source:
Reddy, V. L., Chen, Z., Dewain, S., Joo, M., Bellomo, M., Renkl, E., Patel, S., Rivera, E., Weisbein, L., Ali, A., Kappelman, M. D., & Koo, B. B. (2025). Assessing prevalence and risk factors for REM sleep behavior disorder among patients with inflammatory bowel disease. NPJ Parkinson’s Disease, 11(1), 282. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01051-7
