Many people think that our stomachs only make sounds when we are hungry. In fact, even under normal circumstances, our intestines will make regular bowel sounds because of peristalsis, but most of the time we can't hear them. Today, we will introduce four special bowel sounds, which may be "alarm signals" issued by the intestine.
Why does the intestine make a sound?
When the intestine peristalsis, the gas and liquid in the intestinal cavity will flow with it, which will produce intermittent purring, that is, bowel sounds. Under normal circumstances, bowel sounds are 4-5 times per minute, which appear regularly.
Bowel sounds are usually low, weak and gentle, and you need a stethoscope to hear them. However, when the stomach is hungry, the intestinal peristalsis will be accelerated, and the bowel sounds will be enhanced, and we can easily hear the "goo goo" sound.
If the frequency, tone or sound of bowel sounds change significantly when the stomach is not hungry, it may also be a signal of intestinal illness. Once your stomach makes the following four sounds, you need to be vigilant.
Simple bowel sounds, mostly caused by indigestion, occasionally occur in addition to hunger factors, and there is no other abnormality in the body, usually caused by indigestion.
For example, some people who are lactose intolerant are prone to diarrhea or even vomiting after drinking milk. This is because they lack enough lactase to decompose lactose, which leads to lactose not being fully digested and absorbed in the digestive tract. However, undiluted lactose will enter the intestine and ferment into a large number of gases and glycolysis products, which will lead to flatulence, diarrhea and other situations, and the stomach will emit a more obvious "goo goo" sound.
Ingesting a large number of gas-producing foods may also lead to indigestion and simple bowel sounds. For example, foods rich in plant starch and dietary fiber such as sweet potatoes and soybeans are recognized as "gas-producing experts". In addition, nervousness, anxiety and other emotions often excite sympathetic nerves, and also lead to the acceleration of intestinal peristalsis and the increase of emptying speed, resulting in bowel sounds.
02 Active vocalization, which may be gastroenteritis or gastrointestinal bleeding. When the audio frequency of intestinal vocalization increases significantly, about 10 times per minute, the sound is not high but it is significantly louder, accompanied by the feeling of active abdominal movement, which may imply the possibility of acute gastroenteritis or gastrointestinal bleeding.
Acute gastroenteritis is usually caused by virus or bacterial infection. These pathogens stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, leading to a strong spasm in the intestine, which makes the liquid and gas in the intestine collide and cause obvious bowel sounds. At the same time, patients may have symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation or obvious loss of appetite, which are manifestations of intestinal dysfunction.
When the digestive tract is bleeding, the bacteria in the intestine may decompose the blood residue and produce a lot of gas, which may be accompanied by hematemesis or melena in severe cases. If bleeding leads to insufficient blood supply in the body, it may also cause dizziness, palpitation and general fatigue.
03 Hypervocal bowel sounds, beware of intestinal obstruction. If the number of intestinal sounds increases significantly, exceeding 10 times per minute, and the sound is loud and hyperactive, sometimes even tinkling or metallic sounds are heard, which may indicate a more serious situation-intestinal obstruction.
Intestinal obstruction is usually caused by tumor, gallstone or fecal block blocking the intestine, resulting in food, liquid and gas not passing normally. In order to try to clear the obstruction, the intestine will strengthen the frequency and intensity of peristalsis. This excessive peristalsis and the vibration of the intestinal wall will produce a "purring" sound. With the development of the disease, the intestine may undergo severe contraction, causing persistent pain, while the previous "purring" sound may become more sharp metallic sound.
In addition to the changes of bowel sounds, patients may also have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension and diarrhea. If the intestine is completely blocked, it may lead to the cessation of exhaust and defecation, and even life-threatening risks.
As mentioned earlier, under normal circumstances, the audio frequency of bowel sounds is about 4 to 5 times per minute, but if the bowel sounds gradually weaken and there is obvious tenderness in the abdomen, this is often a sign of peritonitis.
Peritonitis is inflammation caused by bacterial infection, chemical stimulation or injury, among which bacterial infection is the most common. Peritonitis is usually accompanied by abdominal pain and abdominal muscle tension, and some people may have symptoms of elevated body temperature. In addition, once intestinal paralysis occurs, intestinal contents can't pass normally, which may cause intestinal peristalsis to disappear and intestinal sounds to disappear completely.
To improve simple bowel sounds, try these 4 tricks.
These are the four common bowel sounds. If they are caused by diseases, I suggest that you seek medical attention in time and actively treat them. But if it is simple bowel sounds caused by indigestion, we can try the following four methods to improve it.
01 Relieve stress and keep good mood The stomach is actually an emotional organ. There is an "emotional special line" between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract, which is called the brain-intestinal axis channel, connecting the central nervous system of the brain and the nervous system of the intestine, and exchanging information at all times.
When we feel anxious, nervous, angry and depressed, the central nervous system of the brain will produce nerve impulses, which will be transmitted to the stomach along the brain-intestine axis, resulting in slow gastric peristalsis and increased gastric acid secretion, which will lead to flatulence, acid regurgitation, loss of appetite and other problems.
You can use Huawei Bracelet 9 for all-weather stress monitoring to know your stress status in real time. When the pressure is too high, you can use HUAWEI Health App's breathing training, mindfulness meditation, decompression music, yoga classes and other rich content to adjust the state in time.
Eat less, chew slowly. Usually, the gas in the stomach mainly comes from swallowing and fermentation. Every time you take a bite and swallow a mouthful of water, some air will be sent into your stomach, and when you talk while eating, you will unconsciously swallow more air. After this extra air enters the stomach, it may cause flatulence and discomfort, which may lead to bowel sounds. It is recommended to chew slowly and talk less when eating, so as to avoid wolfing down a lot of gas into the intestine.
Eat more foods that are beneficial to qi and contain probiotics, maintain a low-salt and low-oil diet, and eat less pickled, smoked and processed foods, which may stimulate the intestines and lead to an increase in the number of bowel sounds. You can also eat more foods that have the effect of qi, such as white radish, hawthorn, banana, etc., but don't eat too much high-fiber foods that are easy to produce gas, such as pumpkin, buckwheat noodles, corn, etc.
In addition, you can drink some yogurt properly every day, because yogurt is rich in probiotics, such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, which can promote the balance of intestinal flora and thus maintain intestinal health.
Scientifically improve the quality of sleep. Lack of sleep or poor quality may lead to or aggravate digestive system diseases. This is because people with sleep disorders are prone to anxiety and depression. These emotional changes will disrupt normal nerve conduction, make the sympathetic nervous system excessively excited and produce more cortisol, which will lead to gastrointestinal peristalsis disorder and lead to diarrhea, abdominal pain and indigestion. Therefore, improving sleep quality is particularly important for gastrointestinal health.
First of all, I suggest that you develop good sleep habits, such as avoiding touching electronic products such as mobile phones and tablets one hour before going to bed, because the blue light emitted by the screen may stimulate the pineal gland in the brain, affect the secretion of melatonin, and make it difficult to fall asleep. Try not to eat 2-3 hours before going to bed. If you lie down but the food has not been fully digested, your stomach and intestines will work overtime and affect your sleep. Try to eat less high-carbon water and high-sugar food for dinner, otherwise the blood sugar will rise excessively, which will make the body too excited.
