why do stomachs make noises when were hungry?
In: Biology
They noise is always there, it’s when the intestinal system is empty the sound is amplified and you hear it.
Not ELI5, but the medical term for this sound is one of my favorites: [borborygmus](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borborygmus).
If you ever remember a doctor putting the stethoscope on your belly they were listening for bowel sounds to make sure everything was healthy.
It’s actually your intestines breaking down food and moving gasses along. They are always making noise, it’s just when the stomach is full you can’t hear it, as the full stomach is smothering the sounds.
Not an explanation but I’m actually curious if anyone else has never heard their stomach make noises before.
Have you ever listened to a dogs tummy? Always making noises
You have bubbles and stuff in your tummy. They’re always moving around, but when there’s less stuff, it moves around louder.
It’s the sound of gases and liquids moving in your intestines, which are tubes. It’s kind of similar to wet tennis shoes squeaking. When there’s more air in there (gas), it’s louder, similar to a horn or tuba. It’s just like the sound of farting, except it’s inside of you and muffled.
They’re the gastric juices that turn food into poop. If there’s no food in you’re stomach, then they’re bound to sound more, because the stomach is a big empty bag. Bowels make sounds too, but that’s because the poop is moving through them, so it’s a different kind of sound that they make.
A cool way to experiment with what’s happening in your stomach when you’re hungry is to get a garden hose. Since it has two ends that can be opened or closed, it’s sort of like your digestive system: a continuous tube that starts at your mouth and ends at your butt.
If the hose is empty, there’s no sound. Your digestive system is basically never totally empty, but if it were it, too, would be quiet.
Put some water in the hose, but don’t seal it on either end. Move the ends around and you’ll hear the air and water fighting. That’s basically what happens in your guts when there is room for stuff to slosh around.
What you’re really hearing is air and fluids negotiating positions. When the air gets closer to the bottom of your inner hose, guess what happens?
Come on, guess.
Second year medical student here that just finished my GI block a few weeks ago.
First, the GI tract has its own electrical pacemaker (kind of like the heart) to give your stomach and intestines a rhythm to squeeze to when it needs to.
Second, your body has a way to make sure to sweep up between meals via a thing called the “Migrating Motor Complex.” Kind of like that time in between lunch rush and dinner rush at a restaurant when you tidy up in anticipation.
But imagine the servers get so bored waiting for the dinner rush that they bump up music and cause a ruckus. The squeezing (smooth muscle contraction) of the stomach in particular is what causes the “growling noise” when we’re hungry.
Also, just wanted to note that borborygmus is a different noise from the “growling noise” – it’s normal digestion sounds in the intestines. It’s one of the things we check for on physical exam of someone coming in with abdominal pain to make sure you aren’t in acute abdominal distress that requires immediate care.
Edit: Just wanted to say thank you for the hug, kind internet stranger. I actually really needed to wake up to that today.
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