Why does your stomach growl?

Hi Sara!

Thank you for sharing your question with the EmpowHER community! I often wonder the same thing...and it always seems to growl at the most inopportune times!!

Basically it is a process called persistalsis where muscle contractions in your digestive system "churn" the food, liquids and digestive juices so that they can process through your body. Gases and air inside your body help this mixture, aka "chyme" to pass through and the result is the gurgling and growling that you hear.

As your body goes through this process about every two hours, if your tummy is empty the process still takes place although there is no food to churn. The contractions will happen on the average about every hour until you put food in your body to work on.

The growling happens because there is no food to process in your digestive system. 

It sends a trigger to your brain that you are hungry...even though you might not have the urge to eat.

Hope this helps!

Kristin