Why do our tummies rumble when we're hungry?
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What sound do you think your tummy would make if it could sing a song?
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Transcript
Have you ever heard your tummy make a growly rumble when you want food?
Your stomach and intestines keep squeezing and moving, even when they are mostly empty. They move air and little bits of liquid along.
When there is less food inside, those moving air bubbles can make louder sounds. The sounds travel out, and you hear a rumble.
Your brain can notice the rumble and help remind you that it may be time to eat. A healthy snack or meal fills your tummy again.
So that's why hungry tummies can rumble. Moving air and liquid make the sounds!
For grown-ups: the science
A hungry tummy can rumble because air and liquid move through it while it squeezes.
The stomach and intestines contract regularly to move contents along. During fasting, the migrating motor complex produces stronger waves of contractions that move residual fluid and gas, creating audible bowel sounds called borborygmi. Hunger and these sounds often happen together, but a rumbling stomach is not always a direct signal that a child needs food.