Stomach gurgling and pain in lower right side

Stomach growling (AKA borborygmus) is a rumbling in your abdomen that happens when food, fluid, or gas make their way through your stomach and/or small intestine. These borborygmi are often accompanied by other symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, or constipation.

Most people experience stomach growling on occasion. Your body might be telling you that you’re hungry. But in some cases, frequent stomach growling points to a more dangerous underlying cause.

Your digestive tract follows a two-hour cycle, even on an empty stomach. Peristalsis is the natural process by which a series of digestive muscle contractions move food, fluid, and gas through your gastrointestinal tract. Peristalsis is necessary, but it can contribute to rumbling noises.

Why does stomach growling happen?

What does it mean if you have hyperactive bowel sounds? “Hyperactive bowel sounds” is another term for stomach growling and borborygmi.

There are many reasons for hyperactive bowel sounds. Here are the most common causes of stomach growling:

• Hunger
• Eating too quickly
• Overeating
• Eating gassy foods
• Eating acidic foods
• Slow or incomplete digestion
• Indigestion
• Food allergies (such as celiac disease or lactose intolerance)
• Anxiety, stress
• Infection

Some gastrointestinal disorders can cause excess stomach growling. These include:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
• Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
• Intestinal blockage
• Certain types of cancer

What does it mean when my stomach growls but I’m not hungry? 

You may have eaten too quickly or at an abnormal time if your stomach growls even when you’re not hungry. Stomach growling on a full belly may also be a result of anxiety or stress.

If you experience intestinal noises at the same time as other symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or constipation, it is more likely the rumbling sounds are a result of IBS, food allergies, intestinal blockage, or infection.

Stomach Growling vs. Gurgling vs. Churning

Stomach growling and gurgling sounds are the same thing. In most cases, these are normal and don’t require medical attention. A normal rate for these borborygmi is about 20 minutes, but may occur every hour or so during digestion.

Stomach churning may cause stomach growls, but is typically more uncomfortable. A churning or upset stomach may be accompanied by:

• Tightness
• Bloating
• Cramping
• Growling/gurgling
• Excess gas

Is a rumbling stomach a sign of cancer? 

Certain cancers can make your tummy gurgle. Persistent stomach growls can be signs of colon, colorectal, or stomach cancer.

When should I be worried about stomach growling? You should be concerned if your stomach growling is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• Blood in your stool
• Nausea, vomiting
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Heartburn
• Unintended weight loss

If you experience any of these signs or symptoms, your stomach gurgling or churning may indicate a serious condition. Reach out to a healthcare provider for testing and diagnosis before assuming the worst. 

Contact PrimeHealth for a consultation or sign up for one of ourgut health groups visits — in person or remote.

Most digestive dysfunction can be treated with diet, lifestyle changes, and medications. If you just want to calm your everyday stomach growls, read on.

11 Ways to Stop Your Stomach from Growling

1. Eat

Stomach growling is often your body signaling that you are hungry or have low blood sugar.

So, eat away!

Even eating a (healthy) snack can muffle grumbling or altogether stop stomach noises.

2. Eat and chew slowly

Eating more slowly helps you digest food better, which stops stomach grumbling before it even begins. The enzymes in your mouth will start to break down food before you even swallow, this is a very important step. 

To make this work, chew more slowly (don’t just spend more time between bites). Slower chewing ensures slower eating, but thorough chewing also decreases the amount of air you swallow. This decreases the amount of gas in your stomach, reducing the risk of stomach growling.

3. Don’t eat too much

Don’t worry, not all of these solutions are eating changes. But overeating is another problem you want to avoid.Eating too much can trigger digestive problems, including increased stomach growling.

4. Drink water

In the case of stomach growling, water helps the digestive process along and fills your stomach. It’s best to try and drink water in between meals and less during meals, since this will allow digestive enzymes to work better. 

How do I stop my stomach growling immediately? To quickly stop stomach growling, drink a glass of water. Avoid big gulps, as drinking too fast can result in stomach grumbling. 

If you’re in a meeting or can’t quickly access a snack, a glass of water can help calm your stomach in the meantime.

5. Relieve stress

Stress and anxiety are major causes of stomach growling, as well as diarrhea and digestive distress.

Meditation and yoga are always great ways to relieve stress and center your focus.

A full night’s sleep (7-8 hours) is also important to stress management. Get higher quality sleep by turning off technology an hour or two before bedtime (because of blue light emissions). In addition, wearing blue light blocker glasses at night after the sun goes down helps your body adjust to a restful state. 

Going outside and spending time in green spaces has been shown to reduce anxiety.

The importance of stress and anxiety management cannot be understated. Chronic stress and anxiety are the root causes of many diseases, such as some that result in stomach growling.

6. Eat less gassy food

Some foods result in more gas production than others, so reducing your intake of gassy foods can stop stomach growling. You probably thought of beans, but that’s far from the only item on the list:

• Beans
• Onions
• Brussels sprouts
• Broccoli, cauliflower
• Cucumber
• Mushrooms
• Lentils
• Peas
• Dairy products
• Carbonated sodas (including diet sodas with artificial sweeteners)
• Beer

7. Eat less acidic foods

Acidic foods (like fruits, spicy foods, and caffeinated beverages) may contribute to stomach growling.

Avoid acidic foods if stomach grumbling is a persistent problem.

8. Eat less sugar

Consuming sugar can trigger diarrhea, flatulence, and stomach growling, particularly fructose and even sugar alcohols like erythritol and sorbitol (sugar-free artificial sweeteners).

You should also avoid natural sweeteners like honey during flare-ups.

9. Drink less alcohol

Alcoholic beverages irritate your gastrointestinal tract, which may trigger stomach growling.

Alcohol can result in inflammation of your stomach, another potential trigger of stomach growling.

Large amounts of alcohol can slow the emptying of your stomach. This may lead to stomach pain and — you guessed it — stomach grumbling.

10. Take a walk

Taking a walk after you eat makes your stomach empty faster and helps the digestive process along.

15 minutes after eating, take a slow and relaxing 20-minute walk. Research indicates this may even help lower blood sugar (though this study was performed on diabetes patients, so the results may not be true for people who don’t have diabetes).

Staying active is important to overall health, but particularly digestive health.

11. Test for food intolerances

Celiac disease affects millions of Americans. Lactose intolerance affects over half of the human race. Both can cause stomach growling that doesn’t soon go away.

If you are experiencing persistent stomach growling, maybe now is the time for you to figure out if you have a food allergy or food intolerance.

Are your abdominal sounds caused by IBS?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common medical condition that often goes untreated by conventional doctors. IBS may cause stomach growling or other abdominal sounds.

Common symptoms of IBS include:

• Abdominal pain
• Cramping
• Bloating
• Abdominal sounds (growling, etc.)
• Diarrhea or constipation

At PrimeHealth, we treat a lot of patients for IBS and have seen this condition successfully reversed many times! If you suspect you may have IBS, please contact us to schedule a free phone consultation. We are dedicated to not only treating, but empowering patients.

When to Call Your Doctor

Stomach growling is usually a very normal thing. But some concurrent symptoms should prompt a visit to the doctor’s office right away.

Visit your doctor for testing right away if you experience any of these symptoms:

• Blood in your stool
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Persistent constipation
• Persistent diarrhea
• Heartburn
• Constant abdominal pain

Diagnosing Abnormal Stomach Growling

To diagnose persistent or abnormal grumbling in your stomach or small/large intestine, your doctor or gastroenterologist will probably ask about:

1. Other concurrent symptoms
2. Medical history
3. Family history

If they suspect anything out of the ordinary, your provider will order further testing. For example, blood in your stool and a family history of cancer could indicate colon cancer, so the doctor might order imaging tests, blood tests, or a biopsy.

At PrimeHealth, we would test for a few more underlying causes than your typical doctor, including SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) — which could lead to IBS and stomach grumbling. We would also likely conduct a full functional stool analysis to assess for infections, parasites, irregularities in your gut microbiome and other problems in digestion.

Takeaway

With all the potential causes, a growling stomach affects millions of Americans. It is important to find out the cause of your stomach rumbling, so you and/or your doctor can figure out how to treat it.

A little gurgling in your stomach is normal. Usually, it means something harmless. But it is good to understand when to go to the doctor.

If you experience persistent stomach noises, consider scheduling a free phone consultation. We treat patients with digestive system disorders all the time. At PrimeHealth, we empower patients and work with them to figure out a treatment plan that works for them.

Want more insight into better gut health? Follow us on Instagram.

Sources

1. Shaheen, N. A., Alqahtani, A. A., Assiri, H., Alkhodair, R., & Hussein, M. A. (2018). Public knowledge of dehydration and fluid intake practices: variation by participants’ characteristics. BMC public health, 18(1), 1346. 
2. Hirotsu, C., Tufik, S., & Andersen, M. L. (2015). Interactions between sleep, stress, and metabolism: From physiological to pathological conditions. Sleep Science, 8(3), 143-152.
3. Tähkämö, L., Partonen, T., & Pesonen, A. K. (2019). Systematic review of light exposure impact on human circadian rhythm. Chronobiology international, 36(2), 151-170. 
4. Thompson, C. W., Roe, J., Aspinall, P., Mitchell, R., Clow, A., & Miller, D. (2012). More green space is linked to less stress in deprived communities: Evidence from salivary cortisol patterns. Landscape and urban planning, 105(3), 221-229. 
5. Mäkinen, K. K. (2016). Gastrointestinal disturbances associated with the consumption of sugar alcohols with special consideration of Xylitol: scientific review and instructions for dentists and other health-care professionals. International journal of dentistry, 2016. 
6. Bishehsari, F., Magno, E., Swanson, G., Desai, V., Voigt, R. M., Forsyth, C. B., & Keshavarzian, A. (2017). Alcohol and gut-derived inflammation. Alcohol research: current reviews, 38(2), 163.
7. Franke, A., Harder, H., Orth, A. K., Zitzmann, S., & Singer, M. V. (2008). Postprandial walking but not consumption of alcoholic digestifs or espresso accelerates gastric emptying in healthy volunteers. Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, 17(1), 27.
8. Colberg, S. R., Zarrabi, L., Bennington, L., Nakave, A., Somma, C. T., Swain, D. P., & Sechrist, S. R. (2009). Postprandial walking is better for lowering the glycemic effect of dinner than pre-dinner exercise in type 2 diabetic individuals. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 10(6), 394-397.

Alcohol Alternative: A favorite alcohol alternative of ours is Feel Free, a plant-based tonic that provides improved mood, sustained energy, and decreased anxiety, without the many negatives of alcohol.

For 40% off your first order, use code primehealth40. Subscribe to receive an additional discount. Order as many boxes in your 1st order as you’d like to capitalize on this considerable discount and cancel your subscription at any time!

Why is my lower right abdomen gurgling?

What is gurgling appendicitis?

Why does the right side of my stomach keep gurgling?

How do I know if my lower right abdominal pain is serious?