

Some people are awake and can talk but feel no pain.


There are several levels of sedation, and people react differently to them. You may be given medication that relaxes you or makes you sleepy through an IV into a vein. Monitored anesthesia care or (IV) sedation.You will be awake but won’t feel pain in the area that is numbed. It is often used for procedures such as childbirth, or surgeries of the abdomen, arm, or leg. It numbs a larger part of the body than local anesthetic does, such as your body from the waist down. Regional anesthesia is usually given through an injection or a thin tube called a catheter, often in the spine. General anesthesia is typically used for major procedures such as knee or hip replacements. This type of anesthesia is given through a mask or IV and causes you to become unconscious during the procedure. You and your surgeon or anesthesiologist, a medical doctor who specializes in anesthesia care, will discuss this with you before your surgery so you will know what to expect and can prepare for a safe and comfortable experience. There are four main types of anesthesia used in outpatient surgery. Wherever your surgery is performed, you will be given some form of anesthesia or medication to keep you from feeling pain during the procedure. A typical outpatient surgery might be a simple mole removal, a hernia repair, or a knee replacement. Outpatient surgeries can take a few minutes or a few hours, and most are not for medical emergencies. It might also help lower your risk of infection. Outpatient surgery, also called same-day, ambulatory, or office-based surgery, provides patients with the convenience and comfort of recovering at home, and can cost less. Your surgery might be performed in a facility connected to a hospital, a separate surgical center or your physician’s office. Today nearly two-thirds of all operations are performed in outpatient facilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. See also non-REM sleep REM sleep.Packing a bag for a night or two in the hospital might not be on your to-do list if you’re preparing for surgery. The amount and periodicity of sleep in humans vary with age, with infants sleeping frequently for shorter periods, and mature adults sleeping for longer uninterrupted periods. In the stages of non-REM sleep, there are no dreams, and brain activity decreases while the body recovers from wakeful activity. During REM sleep, dreams occur, and memory is thought to be organized. Stages II and III repeat themselves before REM sleep (Stage V), which occurs about 90 minutes after the onset of sleep. Stage I is characterized by drowsiness, Stage II by light sleep, and Stages III and IV by deep sleep. Each cycle is longer that the one preceding it because the length of the REM stage increases with every cycle until waking occurs. These stages constitute a sleep cycle that repeats itself about five times during a normal episode of sleep. In humans and certain other animals, sleep occurs in five stages, the first four consisting of non-REM sleep and the last stage consisting of REM sleep. Growth and repair of the tissues of the body are thought to occur, and energy is conserved and stored. During sleep, the eyes usually close, the muscles relax, and responsiveness to external stimuli decreases. A natural, reversible state of rest in most vertebrate animals, occurring at regular intervals and necessary for the maintenance of health.
