Why is it that as you get older you cant handle thrill rides as well?

[HOGFAN]

same here. chronic neck problems make certain rides less attractive, tho I may be on em anyway. no more wooden coaster tho, they really are too rough.

 

[Zoie]

I think that the older we get, the less stimulation our vestibular system is able to handle before becoming overwhelmed. The vestibular system tells us our head position in space, and the two MOST stimulating vestibular activities are going upside-down and spinning -- features on many rides that thrill us as children and teenagers and make us sick as adults!! The vestibular system affects the autonomic nervous system, and therefore when we overwhelm our vestibular system with too much stimulation, our body responds in various ways, including irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, and NAUSEA.

 

[runwad]

Well can't speak for men but my dentist of all people told me that I'm immune to novicane (sp?) now because the chemical makeup of my body changed after having babies. I always had motion sickness going on spinny rides but could do any coaster no problem, well not anymore, now the coasters get me sick too. Can't take that stopping going from 60 to 0. I wore a patch behind my ear on our last trip to disney and could ride everything no problem, didn't even try mission space though. My daughter who was 7 at the time, gets motion sickness too so we got her chewable bonine and that worked for her on all the rides, didn't get sick once. TaraPA you can get Bonine at the drug store.

 

[Scraper]

I have no problem with coasters, but now i can't ride anything that spins around in a circle (i.e. the Teacups). I used to be able to ride anything!!

Yep me to I am unable to spin now. I use to love it.

 

[Anastasia]

Well can't speak for men but my dentist of all people told me that I'm immune to novicane (sp?) now because the chemical makeup of my body changed after having babies. I always had motion sickness going on spinny rides but could do any coaster no problem, well not anymore, now the coasters get me sick too. Can't take that stopping going from 60 to 0. I wore a patch behind my ear on our last trip to disney and could ride everything no problem, didn't even try mission space though. My daughter who was 7 at the time, gets motion sickness too so we got her chewable bonine and that worked for her on all the rides, didn't get sick once. TaraPA you can get Bonine at the drug store.

Does the bonine make her tired?

 

[slimplaw]

Zoie is very close to why you can't handle some of the thrill rides as you age. It does have to do with your vestibular system. Your cochlea is lined with tiny hairs and as you age, they are slower to react and return to their normal position when your body spins and moves quickly.

 

[jaurban]

I was a motion sick kid, and still have it, though I have learned to control it for the car without drugs. (Drive, or sit shotgun, don't read.) But, as a kid I took Dramamine regularly, without ill effect. Now, with additional drugs, Bonine, etc..., I would check those out and check the package or with your doctor about the doseage and length of time it is effective for a child of the age and size of yours.

 

[DISshopkeeper]

I avoid the woodies too. Too rough! Too much jerking around. I used to love 'em.

 

[alloyd1170]

I read a few years ago that you feel motion more when youre older vs younger. Just spinning in this chair, jumping on a trampoline, and twirling my kids around in the pool make me very dizzy nowadays. If I remember right, it has to do with balance, and fluid in the inner ear. As you age, the fluid starts to decrease, making it harder to control balance. I think Zoie has the right idea too.

alison

 

[themouse1928]

your as young as yo feel and when at WDW I feel as young as I want but your inner ear with time becomes less efficient leaving some adults sick and confused due to equilibrium being off balanced.

 

[minkydog]

I wondered that too. It seems that my stomach is more prone to motion sickness. When I was a kid, for example, I could read in a moving car for hours. Now I'm lucky to be able to look at the map for very long without feeling a little nauseous. Twenty years ago, I loved BTNRR-now it makes my stomach sort of queasy.

It's not your stomach,it's your inner ear. Your vestibular system, the thing that makes us know when we're upright and which direction we're moving in, gets less responsive with age. Debris gets loose in there and can cause vertigo. Spinning rides and car/boat travel can also do it. sometimes just tilting your head back can set it off.

Gettin' old ain't for sissies

 

[inky dinky doo]

I must be the wierd exception to the rule...in my younger days I would NEVER ride any kind of roller coaster. Now I am 51 and I can't get enough. I ride them all multiple times, the wilder, the better. I even ride more things than my 23 year old DD. Now I'M the one laughing and calling HER a whimp!!!!! Go figure!!!!

Ditto for me! I was just going to write the same thing when I saw your message. Who says you can't ride thrill rides as you get older? I ride way more rides than I ever did when I was younger--and the wilder, the better!

Pat

86 days and counting . . . again!

 

[Fitswimmer]

Don't tell my Dad all this-he's 77 and LOVES Tower of Terror, Splash Mountain, BTMRR and wants to try Everest and RNRR on our November trip. It makes me nervous him going on all this stuff, but have you ever seen a 77 yr old man pout?? It's not a pretty sight.

 

[runwad]

Does the bonine make her tired?

No it didn't but I'm pretty sure we got a non-drowsy formula. I took it too when we went for a quick day trip and it worked fine for me too. Although we didn't really go on anything that was motion simulated that trip, just didn't want to chance it w/o my patch on.