ESRS Newsletter April 2025

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As spring unfolds across Europe, the conference season begins in earnest. April marks the arrival of the Sleep and Breathing Conference 2025. I am honoured to serve as Vice Chair of this important joint initiative between the ESRS and the European Respiratory Society (ERS), now in its eighth edition. Taking place in Antwerp, Belgium from 10–12 April, this congress is the largest pan-European meeting focused on sleep and respiratory medicine.
I am quite proud of the programme, which offers a combination of sessions focused on scientific advances with clinical relevance and creates space for multidisciplinary exchange. With topics ranging from paediatric and adult sleep apnoea to insomnia, hypersomnolence, and sleep-related movement disorders, the sessions are designed to foster collaboration and challenge the current understanding of sleep health. I encourage you to register before 9 April to benefit from the member discount for advanced registration.

As we start to plan our conference and education for the year, I want to point out two ESRS events that are currently accepting applications. The 5th Sleep Science School in Fréjus, France, is accepting applications until 24 April. Also, ESRS will host the 2nd Paediatric Sleep School from 4–9 November in Bertinoro, Italy, and applications are open until 12 May.
ESRS are also pleased to be able to offer one full registration for the World Sleep Congress 2025, taking place from 5–10 September in Singapore. This is intended to support an ESRS member who would otherwise not have the financial means to register and attend. Applications will be accepted until 30 May, full details and conditions are posted under grants.
eSleep Europe is on pause this month due to the Sleep and Breathing meeting, but the programme will resume with the Mental Health Track on 8 May, and registration is already open. This track will feature a joint symposium in collaboration with the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) on “Sleep, Insomnia and Mental Health.” The session will explore insomnia through multiple lenses, ranging from epidemiology and neurobiology to REM sleep instability, as well as its associations with anxiety and depression.

Participation is free for ESRS members, National Sleep Societies (NSS) and members of supporting organisations, and I encourage you to take part in this timely discussion.
Next month, the ESRS Board will join the Assembly of Nationals Sleep Societies (ANSS) Executive Committee and National Sleep Society Presidents for the annual ANSS Presidents Meeting hosted in Poznan, Poland. As a former President of a national society, this meeting remains a highlight in my ESRS year, and I look forward to meeting all 33 Presidents and representatives next month.

Finally, please be aware that no ESRS Board member, committee representative, or staff member will ever contact you to request personal payments or financial transfers. We have been informed of fraudulent emails impersonating ESRS leadership and encourage all members to remain vigilant. If you receive any suspicious messages, do not respond, and please report them to the ESRS Office.

Kind regards.

Erna Sif Arnardóttir