What is sedation ?

Sedation is the use of small amounts of anaesthetic or
similar drugs to produce a ‘sleepy-like’ state. It makes you
physically and mentally relaxed during an investigation or
procedure which may be unpleasant or painful (such as an
endoscopy) but where your co-operation is needed.
You may remember a little about what happened but often
you will remember nothing. This is known as ‘conscious
sedation’, and may be used by other professionals as well as
anaesthetists.