You’re sitting in a meeting, waiting in traffic, or trying to fall asleep. Your stomach gets noisy again: gurgling, rumbling, and bubbling. Is this something to be worried about? Are there tips for making it stop?
A noisy stomach, known medically as borborygmi, is often harmless. It’s a normal part of digestion, but sometimes it’s your body’s way of saying that something deeper needs attention. Dr. Branham in St. Louis, a functional medicine expert, helps patients understand what their bodies are trying to say and get to the root cause of their digestive issues.
Let’s take a look at “Why is My Gut So Noisy?” and what you can do about it.
Let’s start with the basics. In most cases, those digestive noises are completely normal. They happen when gas and fluids move through your intestines as part of the digestive process. Here are some of the most common reasons your stomach makes noise:
A noisy stomach after any of these triggers is usually temporary. But if you frequently experience stomach noises along with discomfort, bloating, or irregular bowel movements, your gut may be trying to tell you something more.
A noisy stomach on its own is rarely serious, but when other symptoms appear, it can suggest underlying imbalances or inflammation in the digestive tract. Common accompanying symptoms include:
When these symptoms occur regularly, they may point toward a more complex issue such as IBS, leaky gut, or food sensitivities — all of which can disrupt the microbiome and affect how your gut functions.
IBS is a functional disorder, meaning there isn’t always a clear structural cause. The digestive tract looks normal under a microscope, yet symptoms persist. IBS often involves chronic bloating, alternating constipation and diarrhea, and those persistent stomach gurgles. Triggers include stress, poor diet, gut bacteria imbalance, or food sensitivities. Because IBS is a syndrome — not a single disease — it requires a whole-person approach to uncover root causes.
When the gut lining becomes inflamed or damaged, it can allow particles like toxins, bacteria, and undigested food to enter the bloodstream. This triggers immune responses, inflammation, and digestive distress. Common causes include processed foods, chronic stress, medications, and infections. Patients with leaky gut often notice noisy digestion, fatigue, skin problems, or autoimmune symptoms.
Unlike food allergies, sensitivities don’t cause immediate, life-threatening reactions. Instead, they trigger delayed immune responses that can affect digestion and energy levels. Gluten, dairy, soy, and processed foods are common culprits. Identifying and removing food sensitivities can calm inflammation, restore gut balance, and reduce excessive digestive noise.
Your gut microbiome — the community of bacteria that lives in your intestines — plays a crucial role in digestion, metabolism, and immunity. Antibiotic use, poor diet, or chronic stress can throw this ecosystem out of balance, causing gas, bloating, and unpredictable gut sounds.
Sometimes, the problem isn’t what’s in your gut but what’s missing. If you’re not producing enough stomach acid or digestive enzymes, food won’t break down properly. This leads to fermentation and excess gas — and a noisy digestive tract.
Improving gut health doesn’t always require drastic changes. Simple, consistent habits can make a big difference in how your digestion feels — and sounds.
While a noisy stomach is rarely dangerous, recurring digestive issues are not something to ignore. Functional medicine takes a deeper look at why digestive symptoms occur rather than masking them. Dr. Branham’s approach includes advanced testing to evaluate your microbiome, food sensitivities, inflammation markers, and nutrient absorption.
Instead of prescribing medication for symptom management alone, he builds a personalized plan that may include nutrition therapy, gut-healing supplements, stress support, and lifestyle changes. This root-cause approach helps restore balance, reduce inflammation, and retrain your digestion to work efficiently again.
Many patients discover that once they heal their gut, a long list of other issues — fatigue, skin problems, anxiety, brain fog — begin to improve as well. The gut is the foundation of health, and when it functions well, the rest of the body follows.
If you’ve been living with ongoing bloating, discomfort, or unpredictable digestion, it’s time to look beyond quick fixes. You don’t have to accept these issues as “normal.” Functional medicine gives you the insight and tools to rebuild a healthy gut environment that supports every aspect of your health.
At Dr. Branham’s clinic in St. Louis, you’ll receive care that looks at the full picture of your health. By investigating root causes rather than just symptoms, Dr. Branham helps patients overcome digestive issues, restore balance, and reclaim comfort and confidence in daily life.
If your stomach has been noisier than usual, it might be time to listen. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Branham and start your journey toward better digestive health today.
