33rd Annual Meeting of the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (DGSM) 2025 – November 27, 2025

Resumen

Welcome Address of the Conference Chairs Dear colleagues, The motto of the 33rd Annual Meeting of the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (DGSM), held from November 27-29, 2025, at the Hannover Congress Centrum, is inspired by Leibniz's theory of 'petites perceptions' (small, imperceptible perceptions). According to this theory, remarkable events are composed of parts that are not remarkable in themselves; mental activity is not only conscious. Neuroscience demonstrates that a kind of cognitive unconscious accompanies the brain's conscious activity at every moment. Small perceptions can sometimes trigger a big wave. This concept frames our DGSM Annual Meeting in Hannover. Our aim is to focus on basic research and neurology, spanning from foundational knowledge to clinical presentation, diagnostics, and therapy across the scientific program. Topics include pulmonology, neurology, psychiatry, memory, learning, and more. Sleep is essential for cognitive abilities such as perception, attention, learning, memory, problem-solving, and creativity. Recent data highlights the importance of both Non-REM and REM sleep, as well as breathing, in these processes. Reflecting the broad scope of our specialty, the congress will also feature new findings from symposia on ENT, chronobiology, and artificial intelligence. Ethical aspects in sleep medicine, such as inclusion, multimorbidity, patient participation, and data governance, will also be discussed. Sleep research and sleep medicine remain dynamic and fascinating fields. We hope the program will inspire you, and perhaps a small perception will trigger a big wave in your own research or clinical practice. We look forward to welcoming you to the DGSM Annual Meeting in Hannover! With best regards, Sylvia Kotterba and Andrea Rodenbeck