Highlights from Sleep Europe 2024
One month has passed since Sleep Europe 2024, held in Seville, Spain. Organised by the ESRS and hosted by the Spanish Sleep Society, this year’s congress was the largest in ESRS history, convening over 3,500 participants in person. The event brought together a distinguished group of global experts, researchers, and clinicians to explore the latest advancements in sleep science. Featuring a well-rounded schedule and numerous networking opportunities, Sleep Europe 2024 offered participants an enriching experience. In this week’s Sleep Science Friday, we invited Dr. Maria Hrozanova and Dr. Dr. Purbanka Pahari from our Digital & Communication Committee to share their reflections on the event.
For Maria, Sleep Europe 2024 stood out for its diverse and engaging program. “The morning oral sessions offered an engaging mix of presentations from early-career and seasoned scientists, and afternoon sessions centred around symposia with invited speakers and keynote lectures spanning each of the sleep medicine tracks”, she notes.
One session that particularly resonated with Maria was Michaela Pawley’s presentation on the longitudinal associations between night awakenings and suicide risk in adolescence. “It highlighted the importance of addressing poor sleep during the formative adolescent years,” Maria reflects. She also appreciated “the comprehensive update on physiological insomnia phenotypes and how these influence the response to CBT-I in the lecture by Dr. Fernandez-Mendoza.”
A particularly thought-provoking discussion, according to Maria, was on the evolving role of polysomnography in the treatment of insomnia. Additionally, Dr. Karen Spruyt’s keynote on pediatric sleep offered Maria new perspectives: “I gained insight into the historical context and future directions of pediatric sleep, a field I am not particularly familiar with.“
During breaks, Maria enjoyed visiting the industry booths and engaging in discussions with other participants. “One could always find an interesting session to attend at the congress,” she recalls.
Presenting her own research was another highlight. “I deeply appreciated the opportunity to present my research at the congress, and my notebook now contains scribbles of new ideas and take-home points after valuable discussions with other researchers in my field of insomnia research”, she says.
Meeting her fellow members of the Digital & Communication Committee in person for the first time was particularly rewarding. “We work on bringing ESRS members the latest news in sleep research through our social media and the Sleep Science Friday newsletter, and it was great to finally meet in person,” Maria shares. She also appreciated the many networking opportunities, which allowed her to connect with both old and new colleagues. “Together with the warm Spanish sun and delicious tapas, it was a cherry on top of this congress,” she reflects. Looking ahead, Maria is already excited for the next event: “I am already looking forward to Sleep Europe 2026 in The Netherlands!“
“This was the first ESRS congress in Seville, Spain I attended in person. I got the opportunity to present our work and could network, meet sleep researchers and clinicians, and have lots of informative discussions. Above all, I could finally meet most DCC members beyond team meetings. It was also a great learning opportunity for me.”, Purbanka notes.
One of the sessions that stood out for Purbanka was Master Class 3, chaired by Dr. Alessandro Silvani and Dr. Timo Leppänen. “They discussed wearable sensors and the application of artificial intelligence in the sleep medicine field.” Another impactful session was Master Class 6, chaired by Dr. Renata Riha and Prof. Dr Dieter Riemann. “It taught me how to write an excellent paper. There is still much more to learn about writing and evaluating an article,” Purbanka reflects.
Purbanka was also impressed by the keynote session on gender differences in OSA phenotypes. “All the findings were exciting,” she says. “I cannot finish talking about how much I learned from this ESRS trip; in short, it was a highly productive week for me.”
In addition to the sessions, the congress also provided opportunities for informal learning and networking during breaks. “The break time was filled with food, coffee, and booth hopping to learn new things about the companies, their research, and how their product can help patients with sleep apnea,” Purbanka shares. One product, in particular, caught her attention: “There was one product named WellO2 from a Finnish company that gives five-minute breathing training and eventually helps to clean the airways and strengthen the lung condition. I found the exercise very interesting.“
In reflecting on her experience, Purbanka sums it up enthusiastically: “In summary, I had the best time at ESRS and look forward to the next ESRS Congress.”
As we look back on Sleep Europe 2024, the impressions and knowledge shared in Seville have left a lasting impact. ESRS expresses sincere appreciation to all who contributed to making this Congress a success and eagerly anticipates the continued growth of the sleep science community as we prepare for Sleep Europe 2026 in Maastricht, The Netherlands. Save the date!
Recent publications from ESRS members
1. Wick AZ et al (2024), The first-night effect of sleep occurs over nonconsecutive nights in unfamiliar and familiar environments. Sleep.
2. Sabil A et al (2024), Association of positive airway pressure termination with mortality and non-fatal cardiovascular events in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. Thorax.
3. Sifuentes Ortega R, Peigneux P.(2024), Does targeted memory reactivation during slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep have differential effects on mnemonic discrimination and generalization? Sleep.
4. Tüzün M et al (2024). The Burden of Sleep/Wake Disorders: Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Insomnia Project. Methods Protoc.
5. Filchenko et al (2024), Early sleep apnea treatment in stroke (eSATIS) – a multicentre, randomised controlled, rater-blinded, clinical trial: The association of post-stroke cognition with sleep-disordered breathing and its treatment. J Sleep Res.