Abstract: Improved anesthesia methods comprising pretreating a patient to be anesthetized with a benzopyran of formula I ##STR1## wherein, in the C ring, X is NR.sub.1, S, CH.sub.2 or ##STR2## R.sub.1 is hydrogen, loweralkyl, loweralkenyl, loweralkynyl, loweralkanoyl, cycloalkyloweralkyl, cycloalkylloweralkanoyl, cycloalkyl, haloloweralkyl, haloloweralkenyl, phenylloweralkyl, phenyloweralkenyl or phenyloweralkylnyl; m is an integer from 0 to 3, n is an integer from 0 to 3 and n + m = 2 or 3; or the C ring is quinuclidine ring ##STR3## R.sub.2 is loweralkyl; R.sub.3 is hydrogen or ##STR4## wherein Y is a straight or branched chain alkylene group having from one to eight carbon atoms, a is an integer from 1 to 4, b is an integer from 1 to 4, Z is CH.sub.2, O, S or NR.sub.6, R.sub.6 being hydrogen or loweralkyl, with the limitation that when Z is O, S or NR.sub.5, the sum of a and b is 3 or 4, and R.sub.5 is hydrogen or loweralkyl; R.sub.4 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.