Twilight sedation is a light to deep sedative medicine plan that helps you relax during a procedure, and you may or may not remember it afterward. It is also called monitored anesthesia care or conscious sedation. It is often used for minor surgeries or shorter, less complex procedures when local numbing medicine alone is not enough, but full general anesthesia is not needed.

With twilight sedation, the medicine is usually given through an IV, which is a tube placed in a vein. At lighter levels, you may be drowsy but still able to talk and follow directions. At deeper levels, you may sleep through the procedure and have little or no memory of it, but you are not unconscious like you would be with general anesthesia. Breathing can slow at deeper levels, so the team watches you closely.

It is used for many small procedures, such as biopsies, endoscopy, colonoscopy, dental work, and some minor skin or eye procedures. Recovery is usually faster than after general anesthesia, but the effects can last up to 24 hours, so you need an adult to take you home and stay with you.