After eating, my stomach growls.

Many people don’t quite understand why their stomachs keep rumbling after eating. In fact, the rumbling sound of the stomach is a normal physiological phenomenon of the human body, called bowel sounds. When the body is healthy, the bowel sounds are weak and slow, 4-5 times per minute, and cannot be heard unless you listen carefully. Bowel sounds will only appear high-pitched when certain lesions occur in the intestines, that is, they will become louder and more frequent.

1. Why does my stomach make gurgling sounds after a meal?

It is considered to be hyperactive bowel sounds, which is a manifestation of water retention in the gastrointestinal tract according to Chinese medicine. In this case, it is recommended that you first take Chinese medicine for treatment and conditioning. The specific prescription medication requires the doctor to feel your pulse and look at your tongue coating. Pay attention to a light diet, avoid spicy, greasy, raw or cold food, and do not stay up late.

2. Causes of intestinal flatulence

1. Food fermentation

If the chyme stays in the intestines for too long for some reason, the bacteria may cause the chyme to ferment, produce a large amount of gas, and cause abdominal distension.

2. Inhale air

Intestinal bloating is caused by inhaling a large amount of air while eating due to talking or bad eating habits.

3. Gas absorption disorder in the gastrointestinal tract

Under normal circumstances, most of the gas in the abdominal cavity is absorbed by the blood vessels in the intestinal wall and then exhaled out of the body through the lungs. In some diseases, blood circulation in the intestinal wall is impaired, affecting the absorption of gas in the intestinal cavity, thus causing abdominal bloating.

4. Obstruction of gas discharge in the gastrointestinal tract

For some reasons, the intestinal peristalsis function is weakened or disappears, so the gas in the intestinal cavity cannot be discharged from the body, causing abdominal distension.

What are bowel sounds?

When the intestinal flora is out of balance, various bacteria ferment in the intestines and produce a large amount of gas, causing the gastrointestinal contents to move too much or beyond the normal range, so bowel sounds will occur. When bowel sounds appear alone, the main cause is indigestion. Once the intestines produce too much gas and cannot circulate smoothly, bowel sounds will occur. This type of bowel sound is less harmful and has little impact on the body, and generally does not require treatment.

4. How to determine the cause of disease based on bowel sounds

1. Active bowel sounds

It manifests as an increase in the number of bowel sounds and a louder sound. With the appearance of bowel sounds, you will feel that the intestines in your stomach are moving. This situation is more common in diseases with frequent diarrhea such as enteritis, bacillary dysentery, and amoebic dysentery.

2. Hyperactive bowel sounds

The manifestation is a significant increase in the number of bowel sounds, reaching more than 15 times per minute, and the volume is significantly increased. Sometimes there will be a "sound of air passing through water", as if there is a sound made by an air flow hitting the water surface. This is more common in intestinal obstruction.

3. Simple bowel sounds

If bowel sounds exist alone, the cause is mainly indigestion. For example, after acute gastroenteritis, gastrointestinal function has not yet recovered, and intestinal rumbling occurs due to excessive intestinal gas production and inability to circulate smoothly. This has been mentioned before and the harm is relatively small. Pay attention to your diet and eat less food that is easy to produce gas. If necessary, use some drugs to promote digestion.