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Holding your breath reduces the negative G?


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I found out that if you hold your breath on a ride, it reduces the negative G force! But I don't think it's good for you.

 

As an example, the first time I rode Power Tower Turbo Drop at Valleyfair! I was pretty nervous at the top. So I decided to hold my breath. It seemed like forever at the top. So I exhaled, then again inhaled. And then we dropped. I screamed my head off! But I didn't feel any negative G when we fell (at least I don't remember). But when we hit the bunny hops, I started to feel some negative G.

 

If you think about this, it makes sense.

 

 

So the next time I rode it, I felt a negative G (because I didn't hold my breath), and it took me by suprise. And now, I get nervous when I ride it. :shock:

 

The reason you feel this way is because when you hold your breath is because you don't have to take one as you are dropping (usualy you can't) because you are exhaling. While you drop, the negative G forces you experience will be your butt lifting off your seat and your shoulders against the restraint. The feeling of sickness comes because your stomach is not used to being weightless, but is used to gravity's pull. It's the same with a launch because when the train is accelerating, your innards are thrust backwards, so when the car is thrust down, your innards are thrust up. This can be changed if you tighten your stomach muscles. You take a deep breath because it is easier to tighten your stomach muscles as you are exhaling.

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You cant stop the G's from affecting you. If a ride pulls 4.5 G's, your body will take the 4.5G's (or if you ride Atomic Coaster in Japan, you will pull 25G's )

 

However, you can increase or decrease the effect the G's have on your body by doing one of two things.

 

Increase: Hold your breath or hyperventilate. Never greyed or blacked out but are intrigued by the idea of tunnel vision? Hyperventilating or holding your breath reduces the amount of oxygen in your bloodsteam and thus, a lack of rich oxygen to your head and eyes. This will cause you to grey out. Many people grey or black out on drops because while going up the hill they are hyperventilating or not breathing...which some people do forget to do.

 

Decrease: Breathe steady and continuous AND/OR my fave, a tip from fighter pilots, clench your ab muscles and press your feet into the floor. This technique will tighten the blood vessels in your legs and abs which will constrict blood flow to those areas. Those areas dont really need the blood as much as your head does. The effect is that it keeps majority of the blood from being pushed down into your lower regions and kept up in your head and chest where you will need it.

 

 

Im sure there are many other things you can do based on body type. I, even while holding my breath 1min before an intense helix CANNOT make myself grey out or even have tunnel vision. However, I have told the techniques to people who frequently grey out on rides and they grey out no longer. If fighter pilots use it (along with G-Suits but come on, we arent pulling 9G's here) it should be good enough for us.

 

 

 

Frankly, I think you holding your breath did nothing except take your mind off of the drop which in turn decreased the sensation of dropping.

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