Latest Respiratory and Sleep Research: Insights from Barcelona and Aarhus

Bringing Leading Research Back to Donegal

Dr Olga Mikulich has returned from two major European scientific meetings: the European Respiratory Society Congress 2026 in Barcelona and the Time of Our Lives Symposium on Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Aarhus.

The meetings brought together new evidence in respiratory medicine, sleep-disordered breathing, and circadian health. The goal now is to translate the most useful insights into personalised, outcomes-focused care for patients at North West Sleep and Longevity Clinic.

“We chase the miracles of science, so you can chase your dreams.”
Message shared at ERS Congress 2026

Respiratory Medicine: Three Practical Highlights

• Biologics and COPD

  Emerging biologic treatments may offer new ways to help selected patients achieve greater disease stability, guided by specialist assessment and individual clinical need.

• Understanding Severe Asthma Activity

  Researchers are looking more closely at what continues to drive disease activity in people already receiving biologics, including microbial factors and the possible influence of a BMI above 25.

• Partnerships with Patients

  Symptoms-based models of care place greater emphasis on the burden patients experience day to day and support more meaningful shared decisions.

Five Developments in Sleep Breathing Disorders

• Obstructive sleep apnea is not one uniform condition

  Better understanding of different phenotypes, endotypes, and treatable traits can help explain why sleep stage and sleeping position matter for individual patients.

• Care is becoming more outcomes focused

  Assessment increasingly looks beyond the AHI threshold alone toward symptoms, blood-pressure control, cardiovascular risk, and the important differences between sleepy and non-sleepy or lean and obese OSA presentations.

• CPAP remains the gold-standard treatment

  Evidence continues to support CPAP for improving symptoms and outcomes, particularly in appropriately selected patients with moderate or severe disease, greater sleepiness, substantial oxygen drops, obstructive airways disease, or marked autonomic disturbance.

• Non-CPAP treatments have an important role

  For the right patient, evidence supports options including weight loss, advanced mandibular devices, and positional devices as part of an individual treatment plan.

• Circadian timing is part of personalised medicine

  Research is exploring the best time to exercise for people with type 2 diabetes and ways to reduce circadian disruption when natural daylight is limited.

“The best longevity drugs on the planet are strength training, quality sleep and walking.”
Dan Go

North West Sleep and Longevity Clinic is committed to bringing current research into practical, evidence-informed conversations with patients across Donegal and beyond.