Your stomach is noisy mostly because gas and fluid are being pushed through your intestines by squeezing muscles during digestion, which is normal and usually harmless.

What’s actually making the noise?

The medical name for those rumbling, gurgling sounds is borborygmi. They usually come from your small and large intestines, not just the “stomach.” Three things have to be there to make noise:

  • Muscle contractions moving things along (called peristalsis)
  • Liquid in the intestines
  • Gas in the intestines

When these mix together and get squeezed through your gut’s long, narrow tubes, they echo and sound like growls, pops, or gurgles.

Common normal reasons it’s so loud

In most people, loud stomach noise is annoying but normal.

Very common causes:

  • Hunger
    • When your stomach and intestines are empty, they still contract in “clean‑up” waves, and there’s no food to muffle the sound, so it’s louder.
  • Regular digestion after eating
    • As food, liquid, and gas move through, the muscles squeeze and churn; air and gas pockets popping around food can be noisy, especially after big or rich meals.
  • Gas and swallowed air
    • Talking while eating, drinking with straws, fizzy drinks, chewing gum, or smoking increase swallowed air, which turns into more gurgles and pops.
  • Certain foods
    • Beans, lentils, onions, cabbage, broccoli, dairy (if you’re lactose intolerant), and high‑sugar or high‑fructose foods can all create more gas and sound.

Think of it like plumbing: when water and air move through narrow pipes, you hear glugs and gurgles—your intestines are doing the same thing.

When could it mean a problem?

Noise alone is usually harmless, but noise plus other symptoms can point to an underlying issue.

Possible conditions (need a clinician to confirm):

  • Food intolerances (like lactose or fructose intolerance)
    • Noises plus bloating, gas, loose stools, or cramping after specific foods.
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
    • Frequent noisy gut with pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or alternating between both.
  • Infections or “stomach flu”
    • Sudden onset rumbling with diarrhea, cramps, maybe fever or nausea.
  • More serious issues like bowel obstruction or inflammatory bowel disease
    • Red flags: severe or worsening pain, intense bloating, vomiting, feeling very full, weight loss, blood in stool, or being unable to pass gas or stool.
* Very loud, high‑pitched noises early on can happen with blockage; later the gut may even go “silent,” which is also an emergency sign.

If any of those red‑flag symptoms show up, you should get urgent medical care rather than wait.

Ways to quiet a noisy stomach

These ideas are for general information, not a diagnosis or personal medical advice. Everyday steps that often help:

  • Eat regular, balanced meals
    • Avoid long gaps where you’re extremely hungry; steady meals mean fewer intense “empty” growls.
  • Slow down eating and reduce swallowed air
    • Eat more slowly, avoid talking with your mouth full, skip straws and fizzy drinks, and limit gum and hard candies.
  • Watch your trigger foods
    • Keep a simple food/symptom diary and see if dairy, high‑sugar foods, spicy meals, or certain vegetables reliably lead to noisy, gassy days.
  • Smaller, lighter meals
    • Large, heavy meals and very fatty or greasy foods can make digestion louder and longer.
  • Try gentle movement
    • Light walking after meals can help move gas through more smoothly, which may reduce uncomfortable pressure and some of the loudest sounds.

If your noises are constant and embarrassing or you’re worried something more serious is going on, it’s reasonable to talk with a healthcare professional; they can check for things like IBS, celiac disease, or intolerances and help you find tailored strategies.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.