How to suppress hunger noises

When people are too hungry, their stomachs will make noises, which are actually called bowel sounds. If this sound keeps appearing, people will feel very irritated. At this time, the only thing they can do is to suppress the sound. In fact, the best way is to eat something, so that they won't feel hungry all the time and the bowel sounds will be weakened.

This is how bowel sounds are produced. The gastrointestinal tract is like a "bottle" that is only partially filled with water. If the thin liquid in it is mixed with gas, and the movement of the gastrointestinal wall itself (gastrointestinal peristalsis) causes the stomach contents to move, sounds will be produced in this process, which are bowel sounds. However, normal people cannot feel or hear bowel sounds with their ears. To understand bowel sounds, you can only hear them by putting your ear close to the abdominal wall or using a stethoscope, about 3-4 times per minute. If you can clearly feel or hear the rumbling in your stomach, it means that you have hyperactive bowel sounds, which reflects the source or production of excessive gas in the gastrointestinal tract. It is the sound of gas and fluid as the intestines move.

Increased bowel sounds

When intestinal peristalsis is enhanced, bowel sounds reach more than 10 times per minute, but the tone is not particularly high-pitched. This is called active bowel sounds, which is seen in acute gastroenteritis, after taking laxatives, or when there is massive gastrointestinal bleeding. If the frequency is large and the bowel sounds are loud and high-pitched, or even tinkling or metallic, it is called hyperactive bowel sounds, which is seen in mechanical intestinal obstruction. The intestinal cavity of such patients is enlarged, gas accumulation increases, the intestinal wall is swollen and thinned, and extremely tense, which can resonate with the hyperactive bowel sounds, so that a high-pitched metallic tone can be heard in the abdomen. If intestinal obstruction persists, the intestinal wall muscles are strained, and the intestinal wall peristalsis weakens, the bowel sounds will also weaken.

Decreased bowel sounds

Bowel sounds are significantly less than normal, or are only heard once every few minutes, which is called weakened bowel sounds. It is seen in senile constipation, peritonitis, electrolyte imbalance (hypokalemia), poor gastrointestinal motility, etc.

Disappearance of bowel sounds

If no bowel sounds are heard after 3 to 5 minutes of continuous auscultation, the right lower abdomen should be focused on. If there are still no bowel sounds by tapping or scratching the abdomen with your fingers, this is called absent bowel sounds, which is seen in acute peritonitis or paralytic intestinal obstruction.