The effects of anesthesia generally last around 24 hours in your system, but the exact duration depends on the type of anesthesia used, the procedure, and individual factors such as body composition and metabolism
. Key points about anesthesia duration:
- You typically start waking up soon after the anesthesia is stopped, but you may feel drowsy for several hours afterward
- Anesthetic drugs can remain in your body for up to 24 hours, which is why you are advised not to drive or work immediately after anesthesia
- The anesthesia effects in the brain may last from 20 to 40 minutes, but memory and cognitive effects can persist for an hour or more after the drugs have left the brain
- Body fat and muscle mass influence how anesthesia is absorbed and eliminated. People with more body fat may retain anesthesia longer because many anesthetics are fat-soluble
- Anesthesia is eliminated through a multi-phase process: first moving out of the brain into body tissues (alpha elimination), then metabolized by the liver and kidneys (beta elimination), and finally excreted from the body (gamma elimination)
- The half-life of anesthetic drugs varies, often between 2 to 12 hours, and it can take several half-lives (up to 40 hours) for the drugs to be mostly cleared from your system
In summary, while you may feel normal within hours, anesthesia can stay in your system and affect you for up to a full day, with some effects lasting longer depending on individual and procedural factors
