This may sound like a stupid question, but my curiosity is getting the best of me.

I was talking to one of my coworkers about how I occasionally gray out at the bottom of Millennium Force's first hill because it pulls so many Gs (I've heard it pulls 5 Gs at the bottom), and he said that when you gray out, you lose brain matter.

Is this true?

I'm going to have to look that one up, I have never heard that one before!

That seems like a pretty high number to me. I'd think it'd be somewhere between 2.5-3.5 G's

I do know that when your encountering high G's your blood rushes down and that just like fighter pilots it's best to tighten your stomach muscles to help restrict the rush of downward blood.

I think I've only blacked out on one ride, now that I come to think of it. I rode Invertigo a few weeks back and I seriously do not remember going through the loop.

That being said, I think I did lose some brain matter because I'm crazy and stupid now more than I ever have been.

Andrew, telling the truth.

Since I tighten my stomach muscles I do not encounter this.

Since a blackout is caused by a lack of blood flow (which carries oxygen) to the brain, I would guess that this lack of oxygen to the brain could cause some impact. Although I have no facts to back this guess up, I'd also guess that it isn't that big of a deal.

I gray out going into and coming out of Vortex's second loop, as well as after the first turnaround on Millie. Pretty strong stuff.

Since a blackout is caused by a lack of blood flow (which carries oxygen) to the brain, I would guess that this lack of oxygen to the brain could cause some impact. Although I have no facts to back this guess up, I'd also guess that it isn't that big of a deal.

Except for the "cause some impact" part, you're right. I'm a Biology major and the brain is simply lacking oxygen. If you do happen to black out it's a protective mechanism that protects the brain from a lack of any more oxygen from the outside environment.

So its like the thermostat for the brain hahaha

I don't black out or even gray out, except for the pretzel turn of Magnum XL-200 with the trims off. Then, I lost my perefrial (sp?) vision and my normal vision blurred and started to fade.

I don't think I'm any stupider (though some of my friends might say otherwise) and my brain doesn't feel any lighter, so I'd say it doesn't.

Your brain does temporarly get ischemic, but its only for a few seconds and not long enough to cause brain injury, ie no cells die they just become dysfunctional for a few seconds. When your foot falls asleep it is because of the same reason (lack of blood flow) and it also recovers completely.

I have only experienced tunnel vision on the Titan during the centurfuge. I found that even preparing for the element I could not stop the tunnel vision. Very high g element.

I don't black out or even gray out, except for the pretzel turn of Magnum XL-200 with the trims off.

Ahh! Great times, those trimless encounters...great times!

Flyer, who wants to fly free of trims!

I think I've only blacked out on one ride, now that I come to think of it. I rode Invertigo a few weeks back and I seriously do not remember going through the loop.

That being said, I think I did lose some brain matter because I'm crazy and stupid now more than I ever have been.

Andrew, telling the truth.

I've come close to passing out several times on Invertigo. ( That is why I won't ride it anymore. ) At 5 g's that is a pretty intense ride. Interestingly I feel like I am going to pass out after the ride stops after the first lap.

Anyone out there with a scientific explanation of why you feel like you are going to black out on a high G ride after the ride stops? I think it has something to do with suddenly reverting back to your normal weight ( ie, at 5 g's you feel like 5 times your normal weight. )

I only grey out on the last helix on Raptor. My feet also fall asleep.

chang at SFKK is the only ride i can recall ever blacking or greying out on. it was the year it opened and when it broke all of mantis's records. i do not have that problem on mantis.

The only ride i grey out on is BLSC in the parking garage/helix.

At 5 g's that is a pretty intense ride.

http://rcdb.com/1292.htm

I have started to gray out on Invertigo a few times, but never on any other coaster. Invertigo, Chang and Mantis also make my lower legs and feet feel like they're on fire. I love it.

I'v started to grey out more and more on coasters. I'm getting to old for these suckers. Oh well I'll ride till I die.

...you hope, and I do, too, for you and for me.

Terpy, who more than a decade ago was told he'd never ride again...accepted that, then was told otherwise. There is more to life than coasters, but coasters are an important part of my life, and that of many others...

I recently experienced "graying out" on Dragon Fire at Canada's Wonderland. It was not a remarkable ride, but there are some just happens. There has been only one coaster that I "grayed out" more than once, Silver Bullet at KBF during final helix. I believe I had graying out four times. I am not sure why that one gives me such force. I never had graying out in any other inverted coasters.

King Cobra. I think it was 1990. Maybe 91.

At the bottom of the loop, my vision started getting blurry.

In the helix, I got tunnel vision, and I don't remember any more of the ride.

I can only remember being in the station, all bloody from where my head fell down, and I busted my mouth on the hand-holds.

I heard lots of screams from other people, lots of fuss from the ride crew. I tried to get away from the medics, because I was embarrassed that I had been hurt, and tried to convince everyone I was fine.

I don't remember them digging all the holes in the concrete, but I sure seemed to be stepping in a lot of them when I tried to walk away!!

They gave me a new shirt, and let me go on about my day after they checked my eyes and ears, and I had sat down for about an hour.

That was my first, and last, ride on King Cobra!

^Wow, that's rough. KC is still one of my favorite rides to ever grace Kings Island.

My dad did on Faceoff.

I often gray out on Invertigo and Voyage's double (or is it triple?) down tunnel.

What does all this stuff even mean in coaster terms? Blacking out is very dangerous, and real life you would need to be rushed to the hospital immediately. Because I wouldn't use a word a way that way ever, used on a ride.

Is it really dangerous?

A month ago I blacked out on Super Round Up, and was really freaked out. My mom told me it was nothing.

What does all this stuff even mean in coaster terms? Blacking out is very dangerous, and real life you would need to be rushed to the hospital immediately. Because I wouldn't use a word a way that way ever, used on a ride.

I black out a lot on coasters. At the bottom of Diamondback/ Millennium/ Dragster's hill, and especially on Backlot Stunt Coaster in the helix.