ESRS Newsletter March 2025

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This March, we are proud to debut Sleep Awareness Month for Europe, further advancing efforts to highlight the importance of sleep health beyond World Sleep Day on 14 March. In alignment with the initiatives led by our Assembly of National Sleep Societies (ANSS) across Europe, the ESRS has designated the entire month of March to fostering greater understanding of sleep’s critical role in health and well-being. Collaborating with a small group of national sleep societies, we have developed a pilot project for 2025 with plans for a European-wide launch in 2026. ESRS has made dedicated resources available, offering guidance and practical tools to help inform families, educators, and healthcare professionals. We will build on these resources as we prepare for a wider reach from next year. Please let us know if there are resources you would like ESRS to endorse or create for use in your sleep awareness efforts.

Today, we celebrate Pyjama Day, one of the most visible elements of Sleep Awareness Month- an initiative that invites everyone to wear their favourite pyjamas to spark conversations about sleep. Small, fun actions like this can make a meaningful impact in raising awareness about sleep health and well-being, and it is inspiring to see so many joining us in this movement. Mark your calendars: this tradition will take place on the first Friday of March each year, starting today. We hope to see this activity further supported by the NSS and Sleep Europe Foundation (SEF). 

Sleep Awareness Month is about action: initiating conversations, sharing knowledge, and advocating for better sleep starting with awareness of sleep hygiene. Our concept starts with reaching children, then healthy adults and finally focusing on individuals living with sleep-wake disorders. Whether through your research, clinical practice, or community engagement, I encourage you to spread awareness, educate parents and caregivers, and contribute to improving sleep health in Europe and beyond over the course of this month. 

On the topic of awareness and activity, the ESRS Board has signed on to support the FENS Science Matters Statement joining over 40 other organisations in offering full support to our scientific friends in the U.S. to fight against imposed threats to science and research.

Sleep and Breathing, ESRS’s largest physical conference in 2025 is just one month away. This congress has been a personal highlight of mine for years and I am looking forward to the eighth edition of this joint congress organised with the European Respiratory Society (ERS) to be hosted in Antwerp, Belgium from 10-12 April. A programme highlight on my schedule is the session on Comorbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnoea (COMISA)- a condition that represents a growing area of interest within sleep medicine.  As an ESRS member, you benefit from reduced registration fees if you register in advance so be sure to register before 9 April to take advantage of the member rate.

In addition to Sleep and Breathing, the ESRS is also hosting two training schools in 2025: 

• Sleep Science School – Applications are now open for the 5th ESRS Sleep Science School which will take place in Fréjus, South France from 21–26 September. The topic this year is “Advancements in Sleep Research: From Methodologies to Theories,” more information including the full programme and faculty is available on the ESRS website. Apply by 24 April 2025.
• Paediatric Sleep School – 2nd ESRS Paediatric Sleep School which will be held at Bertinoro Castle in Italy from 4-9 November 2025. The programme is nearly finalised and applications will open in mid-March.

 Led by the Digital Communications Committee (DCC), the ESRS has established a new collaboration with the Sleep Research Society (SRS) to produce a series of four joint webinars over the course of the year. The Spring edition will be live on 20 March and features Dr. Phyllis Zee (US) and Prof. Dr. Martha Merrow (DE). Registration is free and open now.

I hope to see many of you for the second track of eSleep Europe 2025, Neurology on 13 March. Registration is still open and free for members of ESRS, NSS and other supporting societies.  

Warm regards, 

Erna Sif Arnardóttir