My Stomach Growls Embarrass Me

When I get hungry, there’s no doubt

my empty stomach will send out

loud growls and grumbles, and it’s clear

the other kids in class can hear.

I’ve held my breath, I’ve really tried,

but I can’t stop the noise inside.

So can you tell me, Dr. Jo:

Why does my stomach rumble so?

The stomach growls you heard today

have one odd name that’s hard to say.

“BOR-boh-RIG-my” is what’s heard.

Borborygmi is the word.

These noises come when stomachs act

to break down food as they contract.

They push and smush the food around

to mash it up and grind it down.

But in the mix is swallowed air

that bubbles through the food in there;

plus, gulps of soda can bring gas

that seeps into the chewed-up mass.

And as your muscles churn and push,

the brew becomes a gassy mush.

This mush, called chyme, gets sloshed around,

and gases make a growling sound.

Then, hours from the time you eat,

your gut contractions will repeat.

Now in the stomach, there’s just air,

and it gets pushed around in there.

The gas inside you slowly tumbles,

making more annoying rumbles.

Not lots of noises, just a few.

But other kids might hear them too.

So if those growls embarrass you,

there is one thing that you can do:

eat slowly, because it’s been found

that big gulps make more air go down.

COOL FACTS ABOUT STOMACH AND INTESTINAL NOISES

• Stomach growls are loudest when you are hungry because when the stomach is empty, there isn’t any partly digested food (or chyme) to absorb the sounds. Hunger growls will normally stop after ten to twenty minutes.
• Even if your gut sounds quiet to you, it can still be making low sounds. A doctor can hear them with a stethoscope. You may also hear them in a friend, if you put your ear to his or her belly.