Sleep conference in Jönköping - “We have great width, excellence and innovation“

On 23-25 October, the Swedish Sleep Society (SFSS) organised its annual research conference. Representatives from the School of Health and Welfare (HHJ) at Jönköping University (JU) have been involved in both planning and content of this year's programme.

Approximately 130 participants from several countries attended the conference and had the opportunity to attend research presentations, poster presentations and networking opportunities.

During the conference, researchers from HHJ held courses and lectures on topics such as sleep in children and young people, sleep in older people and obstructive sleep apnea. In addition, a number of lectures, symposia and poster presentations were held by researchers from several different parts of Sweden.

Anders Broström is a professor at the Department of Nursing at the School of Health and Welfare and has been involved in SFSS since the late 1990s. He has been responsible for planning this year's programme and ensuring that the conference contains relevant and interesting research, especially from JU.

“It's great that we get to organise this conference here in Jönköping. We think that this programme reflects the challenges of sleep research and the work that is being done in the field on a national level,” says Anders Broström.

Strong sleep research group at the School of Health and Welfare

Elzana Odzakovic is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Nursing and Programme Director for the Specialist Nursing Programme at the School of Health and Welfare. She presented her research on Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), a common disease affecting both adults and children. One of the common symptoms of RLS is called ankylosing spondylitis, which means that patients need to move around to avoid pain, especially in the legs, but also in the arms. The cramps occur mainly when the body is trying to relax, for example when going to sleep. Elzana's research explores patients' experiences and conditions related to living with RLS and how much influence and control they have over their own care.

Elzana sees the conference as a good opportunity to disseminate information about the sleep research conducted at the School of Health and Welfare. She thinks it is a good opportunity to bring in new knowledge from participants from other universities and organisations.

“The School of Health and Welfare was well represented during all three days. We contributed with qualitative research, and we also showed that we are working to collaborate between our different departments, which I think is very unique,’ says Elzana.