Does it sound familiar? Have you ever wondered what makes your stomach growl, little scientist? Do you know how does your stomach inform you its hungry? You will know the answers on these questions and much more, reading our new blog post. Let’s discover it together!

Why does your stomach growl?

Probably, all of you, at least once in life had a situation when you couldn’t control your stomach and its noises. When you needed to pay attention but your stomach started distracting you…and others!

You need to know that it’s normal. Everyone’s stomach growls, gurgles or rumbles from time to time, but it does not have to be like this and you can prevent that.

Probably, the first thought you got after your stomach growls is the fact you are getting hungry. As the muscles of your digestive system push food trough the digestion process, the food gets down to be used by your body. You also need to know that everything gets into the mixture that causes your stomach growls – food and liquids that move through the digestive system, but also gas and air bubbles. And they are mostly responsible for the noises coming up from your stomach.

Why is growling louder when you’re hungry?

There is a pocket of gas and air that make you hear the sound known as growling. This sound from the gas and air is produced in the stomach all the time, but it is much louder when there is no food in your body. Your body is an incredible machine, and this is your body’s way of cleaning up your system by making sure that no food or any other material is accumulated anywhere in the stomach or small intestine. Your stomach communicate with you in that way, sending signals to your brain to get your digestive system muscles start working again.

How food is passed through the digestive system?

The sound of growling may seem to be coming from your throat, but in truth, the rumbling and growling sound comes from your stomach and small intestines. Stomach growling is most commonly associated with hunger, but in truth, your stomach growls all the time – not just when you’re hungry.

Your digestive system is essentially a long tube that extends from your mouth to your anus. The process through which the body gets food is through waves of muscle contraction, which continuously push the food downwards. This process is called peristalsis.

Curiosities:

• There is actually a scientific word for the noises your stomach makes. It is called borborygmi and it comes from Greek.
• By eating smaller portions, you consume the same amount of food, just spaced out over a longer time frame. It ensures that your body never reaches the point where it must remind you to eat.

 

If you don’t want your stomach to growl so loudly, you should eat short meals from time to time in order to keep some amount of food in your stomach throughout the day. The digestive system’s functioning is very complex, and it needs an appropriate intake of food to function normally.

We hope, we satisfied your curiosity, little scientists!  Keep tuned to our blog if you want to find out more interesting scientific fact and our latest news!