Why does tummy making gurgling noises

Once the stomach has been empty for a while, growling noises may signal that it is time to eat again. Eating a small meal or snack may temporarily quell the sounds.

Having food in the stomach also lowers the volume of stomach growling. If stomach growling happens regularly or occurs at the same time every day, it may be a sign that more regular meals are required. Some people may wish to eat 4 to 6 small meals a day, instead of the standard 3 large meals, to prevent hunger and stomach noises.

Digestion begins in the mouth, through the physical act of chewing food. Stomach growling that is linked to indigestion may be prevented by more thoroughly chewing food and eating more slowly. Chewing food properly also reduces the amount of air that is swallowed, which prevents gas and digestive distress.

Alcohol, sugary foods, and acidic foods can all trigger stomach sounds. Sugars, such as fructose and sorbitol, are especially problematic. Acidic foods, including citrus fruits and coffee , are also known to cause stomach growling. Alcohol irritates the digestive tract and can cause stomach noises. It also increases acid production and causes inflammation in the lining of the stomach. High doses of alcohol can delay gastric emptying and cause stomach pain. Certain food and drink produce more gas than others.

If stomach growling is caused by large amounts of gas moving through the digestive tract, then avoiding these foods and drinks may solve the problem of borborygmi. It may be beneficial to remove one food or drink at a time to pinpoint the source of the excess gas and intestinal noises. For example, lactose intolerance is caused by a deficiency of lactase, the enzyme that helps to digest lactose. And just as the muscles in your intestines contract when processing food, they're still at work if it's been a while since you've eaten something.

This causes the same noisy results. This video has been medically reviewed by Rochelle Collins, DO. It's important to note that borborygmi are normal. This simply means the intestines are working. There's no reason to worry about it unless the sounds and symptoms like gas are bothering you.

To make your stomach less noisy, you can try changing your diet to avoid gassy foods or carbonated beverages. Beans and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts, to name a few are known to be very healthy foods. Unfortunately, eating a lot of them can trigger stomach rumbling and gas. Limiting these particular vegetables might help you avoid a noisy stomach.

Cutting down certain sugars in your diet, particularly fructose and sorbitol found in fruits and used as artificial sweeteners may help reduce borborygmi. And eating less acidic foods such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, and coffee may also help reduce embarrassing tummy noises. Drinking enough water, eating slowly, eating regularly keeping snacks on hand , and avoiding overeating can also help to decrease borborygmi.

When these regular sounds in the digestive tract are missing, it's called the "absence of bowel sounds. This may mean there's a problem involving the digestive tract. If a doctor listens to the abdomen with a stethoscope and doesn't hear anything, or doesn't hear what they expect to hear, they might order tests to determine whether there's something wrong. This is especially the case if you have other symptoms, such as abdominal pain or bleeding from the rectum.

If you have pain in the abdomen as well as no bowel sounds, it could be a very serious condition that requires immediate treatment. The diagnostic process will depend on what the doctor suspects is the cause, but it could include a combination of a physical exam, lab work, or imaging ultrasound , x-ray, or an MRI.

After a person has abdominal surgery, a doctor will listen to the abdomen with a stethoscope. This is to hear if the bowel has "woken up" and started to function normally again. In many cases, patients aren't allowed to eat or drink anything until borborygmi are detected. Clear liquids are then allowed, and the patient can progress to a full liquid diet. Eventually, the patient can eat solid foods. Borborygmi are the sounds that come from your GI tract.

Absent Bowel Sounds — While the intestines may be quiet during sleep and at certain times of the day, they should not be silent for long. The complete absence of sounds in the GI tract during an attack of severe abdominal pain could be a sign of an emergency. This often requires immediate admission to the hospital and sometimes surgery. Examples of such uncommon events include late-stage bowel obstruction or bowel perforation.

It is important to note that the intestines also become quiet after abdominal surgery. In this instance, returning bowel sounds is an early and reliable sign of recovery. Too much of certain sugars may cause a noisy tummy. Try reducing the amount of fructose and sorbitol that you eat. There is no specific treatment for a noisy movement of fluid and gas in the GI tract. Loud bowel sounds may occur with changes of intestinal function. Common conditions causing this are dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome IBS.

Dyspepsia is a condition with indigestion and upper abdominal discomfort. IBS is a common GI condition characterized by changes in bowel habits and abdominal pain or discomfort. Dietary adjustment may help if you have a malabsorption issue such as lactose intolerance.

It may also be helpful to change a diet high in fructose or the artificial sweetener sorbitol. These sweeteners are commonly present in diet gums, candies, and preserves.

High amounts of these sugars may cause diarrhea, flatus, and increased intestinal noise. Flatus is gas occurring in the intestines or stomach. Bowel sounds are normal. By: Darren Brenner, M. Grant Thompson, M.

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This information is in no way intended to replace the guidance of your doctor. Borborygmi occurs as a result of digestion. The digestive process is a noisy one that involves muscle contractions, gas formation, and movement of food and liquids through up to 30 feet of intestines.

People typically hear rumbling or gurgling as food exits the stomach and enters the small intestine. This is due to the small intestine using peristalsis, or muscle contractions, to move the food along. As the food leaves the small intestine, it passes into the large intestine, or bowel. Gurgling noises may continue as the bowel absorbs water and nutrients and continues to push the food along.

The bowel also produces gas bubbles, which can create a rumbling sound as they make their way through the digestive tract. Borborygmi is a natural side effect of the complex digestive process. It may produce the following sounds:. All of these variations can be normal if a person feels fine and does not have other symptoms, such as abdominal pain. Intestinal sounds are usually a sign of normal, healthy digestion. As such, a person cannot avoid them altogether. However, if a person is bothered by the sound of their intestines, they can take steps to quieten the digestive process.

This article outlines some examples below. Certain foods and drinks can increase intestinal gas and associated borborygmi in some people. People should try to identify any foods that trigger noisy digestion and avoid those foods where possible. Some common culprits include:. Some herbs have a soothing effect on the muscles of the digestive tract. As such, they may help to quiet the gut.