 |
IN FOCUS: ARTICLE |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
What's That Noise?
by Terry Miller Shannon, 10.07.05
The average daily fart volume is about one to three pints of gas per person. |
|
It seems like it always happens at the worst of times. You're meeting your sweetie's parents for the first time and open your mouth to say "glad to meet you" — and you burp instead. Then there's the ever-popular "try to sneak a fart out quietly" ploy that ends up backfiring — literally! — much to the amusement of the rest of your history class.
Without a doubt, body noises can sometimes be embarrassing — especially when all is quiet or you're trying to make a good impression. But the fact is, they're totally normal, and everyone makes them — from celebrities to teachers to presidents!
Ever wonder why our bodies make these noises? Here's the low-down:
Burping
As you eat and drink, you swallow air, which ends up in your stomach. Extra air comes up — ta da! — as a burp. Carbonated drinks, gulping food down, drinking too fast, and slurping through straws tend to make you burp more than normal.
Farting
When food is broken down in the intestines, it can create gas that exits through your anus. The average daily fart volume is about one to three pints of gas per person, and the normal rate is around 12 to 40 farts a day.
Gases cause the stinky odor, and swallowing air, chewing gum, smoking, sucking on candy, and drinking carbonated drinks all add gas — and thus, farts — to your system. Some foods, such as beans, cabbage, and dried fruit are famous for their fart-producing power.
Yawning
No one knows for sure why we yawn — or why yawns are contagious. But some scientists suspect that we start breathing shallowly when we're tired or bored. Those shallow inhalations don't suck in enough oxygen or get rid of carbon dioxide that builds up in our blood when we're lazy breathers. So, that huge yawn echoing through Algebra-I class may simply be your body correcting your oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. (Try telling that to your teacher!).
Another camp of yawn scientists figure a yawn is just a stretch for your lungs, while still others believe it produces necessary lung lubricants.
Stomach Growling and Gurgling
Surprise, surprise! A growling stomach doesn't mean you're hungry. The rumbles actually come from your intestines. All that noise simply means food, liquids, and gases are moving normally through your intestines. Muscles continuously squeeze along contents in your digestive system. Those contractions are what you hear as grumbling, rumbling, or squeaking. When you haven't eaten for a while, your intestines continue to contract and may sound especially loud because there's no food to muffle the rumbles.
Hiccupping
A muscle at the bottom of your chest called the diaphragm helps you to inhale and exhale. If the diaphragm is irritated, your breath comes out in jerky gasps. Hiccups can be caused by gulping your food too fast, pigging out, an irritation in your throat or stomach, or emotions such as nervousness. Most hiccups last for just a little while, although some cases have been known to last for weeks!
"Queefing"
Sometimes during vaginal sex — or when a woman inserts something in her vagina — air gets pushed into the vagina. When the penis or another object is removed, the air is released, and it makes a noise, which is sometimes called a "queef" or a "vaginal fart." Sometimes air is also released even if nothing is inserted into the vagina.
"Queefs" are odorless and unpreventable. Never heard of queefing? That's no surprise. It seems to be one of those things no one ever talks about, even though it's common and normal.
And that's the scoop on your body's symphony of sounds! |
|
|
|
Printable Version
Email this page