twilight sleep

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Last updated

July 14, 2026

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"Twilight sleep" was an approach to pain relief during childbirth that involved administering a combination of scopolamine, an amnesic drug, and morphine. This induced a dreamlike state, causing the woman to have no memory of labor pains upon waking. However, this method fell out of favor due to side effects like delirium and hallucinations, and a desire for women to be more active participants in birth.1

Modern pain management in labor includes psychoprophylaxis, regional nerve blocks, and local anesthesia, which aim to reduce pain while allowing the mother to remain conscious and lucid. Sedative-hypnotic drugs, in general, are used to reduce tension and anxiety or to induce sleep by depressing the central nervous system.12

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birth
Relief of pain in labour
… was given to produce “twilight sleep.” On awakening from the induced dreamlike state, the woman would have no memory of her labour pains. The desire to be an active participant in the birth experience and to avoid the side effects of delirium and hallucinations led to abandonment of this…
Read More
… was given to produce “twilight sleep.” On awakening from the induced dreamlike state, the woman would have no memory of her labour pains. The desire to be an active participant in the birth experience and to avoid the side effects of delirium and hallucinations led to abandonment of this…
Read More