When we are hungry, our stomach produces muscle contractions called peristalsis to push food remnants and liquid towards the intestines. This movement can create audible sounds, commonly referred to as stomach growling.
When your stomach is empty, it remains active nonetheless. It regularly moves its muscles, creating contractions called peristalsis. These contractions typically serve to push food along the digestive tract. But when there is no food, these movements simply stir the air and liquids present in your stomach. This empty churning sends muscle waves along your intestinal wall, causing that typical gurgling sound known as borborygmus. So, it is your body that cleans and prepares your digestive system: a sort of internal tidying up, even without guests at the table.
When the stomach is empty, it contains almost nothing but air and gas. These gases come partly from swallowed air while drinking or eating quickly, but also from the fermentation of certain foods. When the digestive system performs its muscle contractions, known as peristalsis, it pushes not only liquids but also air from one area to another. This circulation of air then produces vibrations in the stomach and intestines, generating distinct sounds commonly referred to as growling. The emptier the stomach, the more these sounds can resonate clearly, which is why it sometimes feels like our stomach is turning into a loudspeaker when we are very hungry.
When your stomach has been empty for several hours, it alerts your brain. This brain-stomach conversation goes through the vagus nerve, a super long nerve that directly connects the two. When your belly becomes empty, receptors send a message to the brain, which then understands that it's time to eat. In response, the brain sends information back to the stomach and intestines to initiate movement (peristalsis): these muscle contractions push down any remaining food and prepare the digestive system to receive the next meal. It's at this moment that you physically feel hunger in the form of a sensation of emptiness or loud growling.
When the stomach is empty, certain hormones come into play, activating or deactivating the rumblings. The main one is ghrelin, often called the "hunger hormone." Produced mainly in your stomach, it clearly signals to your brain that it’s time to eat. When levels of ghrelin rise, the muscular movements of your digestive system activate, causing more contractions and therefore more gastric noises. Then, when you eat, other hormones like cholecystokinin (CCK) or peptide YY come into play to curb appetite and stop those persistent rumblings. It's like a hormonal switch that speeds up or slows down digestive movements depending on whether your body is craving a little snack or not.
When you haven't eaten for several hours, your digestive system starts to function differently. Deprived of food in the stomach, your body slightly slows down the production of digestive juices, but at the same time, it activates a particular cycle called the migrating motor complex. This is a sort of automatic cleaning that involves powerful periodic muscle contractions aimed at emptying what remains in the stomach and small intestine: food remnants, bacteria, and dead cells. This natural process generates those famous growling sounds that you clearly hear during a fasting period or when you wait too long before your next meal. These sound vibrations are therefore just the normal consequence of an empty stomach gearing up to prepare for the next food intake.
Hunger sometimes triggers contractions called migrating motor complexes (MMC), which prepare the digestive tract to receive food. It is these periodic contractions that are perceived as rumblings.
The sound of gastric gurgling can reach up to 60 decibels, which is the equivalent of a normal conversation. Impressive, isn't it?
The rumblings can intensify during periods of stress or anxiety. This is because the nervous system is directly connected to the digestive tract and influences its activity.
The scientific term for stomach rumblings is 'borborygmus'. This word comes from the Ancient Greek 'borborygmos', a word that imitates the sound produced by these intestinal noises!
Yes, certain foods promote gas and gastric noises, such as carbonated drinks, legumes, cabbage, onions, or foods high in fiber. Their digestion produces more gas and stimulates intestinal movements, thereby increasing the risk of the well-known rumblings.
Drinking a glass of water temporarily soothes stomach contractions. Avoiding carbonated drinks will also limit gas in the stomach, which is a frequent source of unwanted noises. Chewing food slowly reduces the amount of air swallowed, thus decreasing the chances of embarrassing gurgling sounds later on.
Usually, no. However, very frequent rumblings accompanied by abdominal pain, unusual changes in eating habits, or digestive issues may indicate a disorder such as irritable bowel syndrome or a food intolerance. It is then recommended to consult a healthcare professional.
Not always. Indeed, when our stomach is empty, the contraction of muscles often leads to the characteristic rumblings. However, the presence of gas, the rapid ingestion of air, or even active digestion can also cause these sounds without us necessarily feeling hungry.
Sure! Here’s the translation: "Yes, absolutely! After a meal, the digestive system begins to work to mix and digest the ingested food. These movements, called peristaltic contractions, sometimes produce gastric noises, which are perfectly normal and do not necessarily indicate a problem."
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