Why do people faint on roller coasters

My friend showed me a video of this happening and it got me thinking. I have done some research on the topic but they always explain why the person passes out but not why it happens to that particular person and not others. Also why in particular does it happen when the coaster drops like in the video.

video (on Twitter): https://twitter.com/rickeyj_2/status/755095595354816513

Edit: Word

I've seen numerous videos of people fainting on slingshot rides and so it seems to be a common occurrence. Why do so many people faint? I figured it could be a fear of heights however there's plenty of other rides that drop you from high up and don't appear to have the same number of fainters.

Roller coasters may seem like a very modern type of entertainment – constantly getting bigger, faster and scarier thanks to advances in technology. But they actually date back to the mid-1800s. Gravity-propelled railways built to transport coal from up in the mountains down to the town in Pennsylvania, US, were hired out at weekends by fare-paying passengers riding purely for the fun of it.

Today theme parks are big business. But with queues occasionally as long as eight hours for an average ride of under two minutes – not to mention reports of riders suffering strokes, brain deformation and serious injury due to crashes – how come we put ourselves through it? What is it about roller coasters that some love so much, and is it an experience we tend to like less as we get older?

Enjoying roller coasters is linked to sensation seeking – the tendency to enjoy varied, novel and intense physical experiences such as rock climbing and parachute jumping. But what sensation do roller coasters provide that is so alluring? At first glance, it may seem to be down to the experience of speed. But the evidence for linking sensation seeking to speed is not compelling. For example, when it comes to driving at speeds above the legal limit, many people do it, not just sensation seekers.

Perhaps the draw of roller coasters is the enjoyment of the visceral sensation of fear itself, much like watching a horror movie. Physical signs of fear such as a pounding heart, faster breathing and an energy boost caused by the release of glucose are known collectively as the “fight or flight response”. We know that a roller coaster ride is likely to trigger this response thanks to researchers who measured the heart rates of riders on the double-corkscrew Coca Cola Roller in 1980s Glasgow. Heart beats per minute more than doubled from an average 70 beforehand to 153 shortly after the ride had begun. Some older riders got uncomfortably close to what would be deemed medically unsafe for their age.

In another adrenalin-boosting pastime, novice bungee jumpers not only reported increased feelings of well-being, wakefulness and euphoria just after completing a jump, they also had raised levels of endorphins in the blood, well known to produce feelings of intense pleasure. Interestingly, the higher the levels of endorphins that were present, the more euphoric the jumper reported feeling. Here, then, is clear evidence that people enjoy the sensations that accompany the fight or flight response within a non-threatening environment.

Good vs bad stress

And yet, paradoxically, these bungee jumpers also showed increased levels of the hormone cortisol, known to increase when people experience stress. How, then, can a person simultaneously experience stress and pleasure? The answer is that not all stress is bad. Eustress – from the Greek “eu”, meaning good, as in euphoria – is a positive kind of stress that people actively seek out.

We know that a roller coaster ride can be experienced as a “eustressful” experience thanks to an intriguing study carried out by two Dutch psychologists. They were interested in asthma, and specifically its relationship with stress. Having noted previous research findings that stress leads asthma sufferers to perceive their asthma symptoms as more severe, they wondered whether an opposite effect might be possible by applying eustress.

And so, in the name of science, some asthmatic student volunteers were transported to a theme park and rode a roller coaster while their respiratory function was checked. The research findings were remarkable. While lung function predictably reduced from the screaming and general upheaval, so did the feeling of shortness of breath. This suggests that thrill seekers riding roller coasters perceive the experience as stressful in a positive way.

The role of dopamine

But roller coasters are not everybody’s cup of tea. Could differences in brain chemistry explain sensation seeking behaviours? The experiment with bungee jumpers suggest that people with higher levels of endorphins feel higher levels of euphoria. But there is no evidence that resting levels of endorphins might explain sensation seeking, they are more likely a response to the thrill than a predictor of whether we enjoy it.

A recent review instead looked at the role of dopamine, another chemical messenger substance in the brain that is important in the functioning of neurological reward pathways. The review found that individuals who happen to have higher levels of dopamine also score more highly on measures of sensation seeking behaviour. While this is a correlation rather than a causation, another study found that taking a substance called haloperidol, which disrupts dopamine’s effects within the brain, led to a measurable decrease in sensation seeking behaviour.

This line of research sets out the intriguing possibility that enjoyment of intense physical experiences such as riding on roller coasters may reflect individual differences in brain chemistry. People who have higher levels of dopamine may be more prone to a number of sensation seeking behaviours, ranging from harmless roller coaster rides to taking drugs or even shoplifting.

The question as to whether roller coaster riding still appeals as we get older has not been researched directly, but a recent survey looked at how keen people of different ages were on thrill-seeking holidays such as rock climbing trips. It showed that interest in these kinds of holidays peaks in early adulthood, declining with each passing decade. This indicates that older adults are less inclined to participate in activities similar to riding roller coasters. Perhaps experiencing one’s heart rate spiking dangerously close to medically accepted risk levels is not such a draw for the over 50s.

Though hard to pin down, people enjoy roller coasters thanks to a combination of speed, conquering fear and the positive effects associated with a massive rise in physiological arousal. A roller coaster ride is a legal, generally safe and relatively cheap means of experiencing a natural high. Understandably, people have been happy to pay money in exchange for doing it for centuries, and there is no sign of any waning in the appreciation of a bit of eustress.

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Are you one of those people who feels a bit dizzy and weak every time you think of taking a ride on a rollercoaster?

Have you ever passed out in fear while taking a ride on a roller coaster? If you’re wondering why that happened to you, you’re definitely in the right place!

In this blog, we will share with you the reasons why people pass out on roller coaster rides, how dangerous it can be, and if there are any underlying health conditions that need to be addressed if you feel faint and pass out on rides.

Let us start by addressing the most crucial question: Why do people pass out on roller coaster rides?

Why Do People Pass out During Roller Coaster Rides?

People pass out on roller coaster rides due to a hormone known as the adrenaline hormone. Adrenaline is responsible for a body’s “fight or flight decision” during a stressful situation. 

Adrenaline released from the adrenal glands floods the brain. This results in a slowed heartbeat and decreased arterial pressure, causing the person to blackout!

During a roller coaster ride, the gravitational force keeps constantly changing according to the change in position of the coaster.

Due to this, the gravitational force acting on the body also keeps changing, resulting in the shortage of blood and oxygen in the brain, leading to blackouts.

Roller coasters might be challenging for anyone who has a lot of trouble dealing with stressful situations.

If the sight of blood makes you dizzy, and every scary scene in a horror movie causes your heart to jump, you might be someone who has issues with stressful situations.

Neurobiologists have conducted research for numerous years which gave us concrete evidence about why some people might pass out during a scary roller coaster ride!

Some people have also experienced “redouts.” A situation in which blood supply to the brain increases drastically, leading to unconsciousness!

Understanding the Risks of Rides

Rollercoasters, as we know, are full of ups and downs. If you are an adrenaline junkie, the chances of you passing out on a rollercoaster is quite feeble.

For you, it will be a thrilling adventure and an experience of a lifetime.

However, if you are someone who gets scared easily, the potential risks of a roller coaster ride increase manifold.

The risk factor ranges from blackouts to grave circumstances such as heart attack, stroke, or whiplash effects!

One of the least talked about risks of a roller coaster ride is the dissection of arteries.

This is a situation wherein the arterial walls tear up due to constant fluctuation of gravitational force.

This can ultimately lead to a stroke.

Not only that, anxiety attacks are common among people on roller coaster rides. People may also suffer from internal hemorrhage, wherein blood from torn capillaries will seep into the lungs and restrict oxygen flow.

Brain damage is also not unheard of, although it might be very rare!

Understanding the Risk Factors in Your Health

Before you get on a roller coaster and experience an adventurous ride, there are certain parameters of your health that you most definitely need to reconsider.

If you are someone who has been suffering from herniated disc disease or other forms of spondylitis, you might want to keep away from roller coasters.

Pregnant women, people suffering from heart diseases, such as heart attacks or chest pain, and people who have pacemakers should consider avoiding roller coaster rides.

If you suffer from low blood pressure problems or you are anemic, you should also take caution.

Adequate oxygen supply to the brain is crucial in order to prevent blackouts. If the blood is not carrying enough oxygen to the brain, there is a probability of brain damage.

Additionally, patients suffering from asthma should also stray away from the rides for the very same reason.

A decreased oxygen content in the blood can slow down your pulse, ultimately leading to coma.

Precautions to Take Before Going on a Ride

If you’re an adrenaline junkie who can’t stop yourself from jumping on a scary roller coaster ride, be aware that you might need to maintain some precautionary protocols to stay safe.

The last thing you want to do is pass out from a ride.

1. Drink a lot of water in order to stay hydrated throughout the ride. Sometimes, dehydration can easily lead to a deficiency of oxygen in the bloodstream, which might cause you to feel lightheaded!

1. Make sure to keep your head facing in the direction of the ride. Turning or tilting your head in other directions might cause an imbalance in air pressure within the ear. This might lead to intense pain and blockage in the ear!

1. If you have a history of blacking out in stressful conditions, try taking long , deep breaths during the ride. 

1. Visit a doctor if you feel any unusual discomfort of any kind after a roller coaster ride. There might be a possibility of grave problems within the body that needs immediate medical attention!

1. If you feel uneasy or sick, always choose to opt-out of a scary coaster ride! Remember, your life is more precious than meaningless peer pressure!

Takeaway

If you happen to faint on a rollercoaster, try not to panic. Adventure parks take safety and health seriously, and will be there to assist you.

However, the best way to ensure your safety is to properly assess your health.

Recall if you have any serious medical conditions that can affect your health during the ride.

Don’t step on a ride if you do not feel well.

Being healthy is far more important as compared to taking miscalculated and fatal risks. Take proper precautions and enjoy your ride without passing out.