Surely on more than one occasion you have heard those abdominal noises. They are noises caused by the movement of the intestines and are usually caused to indicate that you are hungry.
We have to think that the intestines are hollow, so the sounds that are produced can be due to a sensation of hunger or be caused by movement as food is pushed towards the part of the intestines.
This should not be a concern as it means that the digestive tract is working properly. When we are hungry it is because our brain activates the desire to eat. By sending the signals to our intestine, the stomach contracts and causes these sounds, indicating that we are hungry.
Another of the occasions in which we can listen to our guts is with what we call peristalsis , but what does this word mean?
Peristalsis is a series of muscular contractions that occur in the digestive tract. It is an automatic process but very important because it is responsible for moving food through the digestive system among other functions.
The different types of abdominal sounds
We find two types of abdominal sounds; the reduced or hypoactive ones while there are also the increased or hyperactive ones . In the area of medicine, the stethoscope is used to evaluate abdominal sounds, although sometimes they can be heard without any type.
Hypoactive or also called reduced abdominal sounds are usually generated during sleep. They include a decrease in pitch, strength, or regularity of noises. They indicate that abdominal activity has decreased.
On the other hand, hyperactive or increased abdominal sounds indicate that there is increased bowel activity. It can be generated after eating or before having liquid stools or diarrhea.
You may think that this type of noise means that something is not working properly, but the truth is that the absence of sounds prolonged over time for days can indicate paralysis of the intestine.
On the contrary, sometimes there are people who feel bloated or show concern about excess gas in the digestive tract. They usually appear in people suffering from ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
To refer to this phenomenon, we use terms such as meteorism or flatulence. It is a clinical picture due to excess gas within the intestine . This causes an increase in sensitivity in the area.
The data on its frequency are not reflected in a concrete way but it usually happens frequently in the general population and especially in people who have digestive disorders.
Did you know that the gas present in the intestine is made up of nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane?
It comes mainly from three sources such as:
- The air that we swallow when we breathe and that we expel mostly through burping.
- The intestinal gas that comes from the fermentation of some foods that we eat daily and that is produced in the intestinal flora.
- Through our blood, certain gases such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide can be passed to the intestine.
Intestinal gases are eliminated from the digestive system by various mechanisms: belching, diffusion into the blood, metabolism of colonic bacteria, and elimination through the anus (farting).
Why do they appear?
There are many circumstances that are associated with increased gas production, but the most common would be:
- You swallow too much air (aerophagia).
- Stressful situations
- Intake of foods rich in non-absorbable carbohydrates that increase fermentation in the colon.
- Taking antibiotics that alter the intestinal flora.
- Sudden changes in food.
When people have abdominal pain due to meteorism, it indicates that there is difficulty in advancing air through the intestine, causing greater sensitivity and therefore a painful response to intestinal distention.
What are the most frequent symptoms?
Noises in the gut, abdominal swelling, excessive farting and frequent belching can occur, but the most frequent symptom is increased sensitivity referring to pain.
What can we do to improve this situation?
To help reduce discomfort and improve quality of life, we can have general care such as:
- Do not smoke and avoid candies and gum that increase symptoms.
- Drink and eat slowly, chewing properly and avoid talking while eating.
- Fizzy drinks increase meteorism.
- Avoid lying down immediately after eating.
- To avoid constipation, exercise such as walking.
- Maintain oral hygiene.
If the situation persists with clear symptoms, it is best to go to your health center to rule out some of the health complications such as Crohn’s disease, food allergies, ulcerative colitis, intestinal obstruction or diarrhea.
Bibliographic references
Leon Barua, R. (2002). Flatulence. Journal of Gastroenterology of Peru , 22 (3), 234-242.
Ortega LO 2021. Meteorism and gas accumulation in IBD. https://accuesp.com/el-meteorismo-y-la-accumulacion-de-gas-en-la-eiiRamos Zabala, F., & Moreno Almazán, L. 2005. Meteorism. Spanish Journal of Digestive Diseases , 97 (2), 137-137.MedlinePlus. 2020. Bowel sounds. https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/ency/article/003137.htmNago, AN, & Ochoa, MV Belching, bloating, and flatulence.
