borborygmus

Borborygmus is a rumbling sound made by the body, which is caused by gas moving through the intestines. Using layman's terms, it is the sound of a stomach growling, gurgling, or rumbling.

The sound you're hearing during borborygmus is the sound of your body going through the normal digestive process.

• Muscles in the stomach are contracting, which is done automatically every so often in order to move digesting food, stomach juices, and gas out of the stomach and the upper part of the intestine, down through the rest of the intestines and out.

This contraction and movement occurs on a fairly regular basis, but we tend to hear it most of all when we are hungry, simply because the movement is taking place in an “empty” area. Not only does this make it more audible, but it means that the stomach has less food and more gas to move, which can result in bubbling and shifting that will lead to audible sounds.

Borborygmus can also occur when food doesn't digest properly, since that sometimes leads to excess gas in the system, and again it can be felt moving and be heard rumbling as the stomach muscles contract to move it onward.