This Is What Really Happens to Your Body When You Go Under Anesthesia

Your brain quiets down like it’s getting deep ZZZs

As the anesthesiologist asks you to countdown from 100 in the operating room, here’s what’s taking place in your noggin: “A hypnotic agent is given to quiet the thinking part of the brain, the cerebral cortex, and areas of the brain stem associated with awareness,” explains Jennifer Kollman, MD, director of anesthesia at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central in Colorado Springs, Colorado. You can expect your breathing to slow and for your body to relax, too. “When you awaken, it’s almost like you’ve time traveled, feeling like you only fell asleep moments ago,” says Dr. Kollman. “Some people even report dreams afterward.”

Doctors typically don’t explain this to patients—and here are 50 more secrets surgeons won’t tell you.

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