FROM grumbles and creaks to pops and whistles, your body makes all sorts of weird sounds you don’t have control over.
Though they’re usually nothing to worry about and you might be pretty used to them by now, sometimes the involuntary sounds your body makes could be sign that something’s wrong.
A belly grumble might not just mean you’re hungry if you’re also experiencing pain or swelling
So it can be worth listening closely to the noises your body emits throughout the day.
From hearing a loud banging sound as you fall asleep at night to your heart beating loudly in your ears and pops and crackles in your joints – here’s what the weird noises your body makes mean and when you need to see a doctor immediately.
1. Growling and gurgling in your stomach
If your stomach gives a loud grumble, you’d usually assume it was due to hunger.
These sounds are medically known as borborygmi and sometimes they are just your body’s way of letting you know it wants a meal.
But your stomach may also growl after you’ve eaten, indicating your stomach and intestines are propelling liquid and food through your digestive tract, according to Harvard Health.
William Chey, coeditor-in-chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, told Prevention that your gastrointestinal tract goes through a series of intense, often noisy contractions every couple of hours to sweep out leftover debris between meals.
The resulting sounds are just as sign your gut is working normally.
But if the growling and gurgling is accompanied by pain, swelling or fever, this might mean you have a stomach infection or other trouble and definitely a sign to check in with your doctor.
2. Gasping at night
While it won’t be pleasant for anyone sharing a bed with you, snoring is a very common night affliction and won’t usually be a sign of something serious.
But if you make up gasping, or your partner becomes concerned that your breathing seems to stopping and starting while you sleep, you might be suffering from a condition called sleep apnoea.
Symptoms of the sleep disorder include:
Breathing stopping and starting
Making gasping, snorting or choking noises
Waking up a lot
Loud snoring
It can be hard to know what your body is getting up to as you sleep, but key signs you have the condition include feeling very tired throughout the day despite having got a good amount of rest, finding it hard to concentrate and waking up with a headache.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms you need to speak to a GP, the NHS notes.
Sleep apnoea can be serious and increase your likelihood of developing conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and even having a stroke.
3. Popping and cracking ankles and knees
David Geier, director of sports medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina told Prevention that popping and cracking in your knees and ankles can be a result of:
Tendons snapping over joints
Shifts in fluids that pop gas bubbles
Joints moving off track
He advised you see a doctor if you experience any pain, swelling or locking along with these sounds, or if you feel like you can’t exercise.
4. A whistling nose
Does your nose whistle when you breathe?
It usually just means that you’re bunged up, with snot narrowing the space in your nose the air moves through.
But if this sounds starts up after an injury or particularly vigorous nose-picking, this might be an indication of a perforated septum – this is a hole in the wall between the nasal passages.
This is definitely worth speaking to a doctor about.
5. A clicking jawbone
James Van Ess, an assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Mayo Clinic, told Prevention that clicks and pops in your jawbone might mean that the hinge or cartilage in your upper and lower jaw may be out of alignment.
You needn’t worry about it unless your jaw locks or it won’t open and close all the way.
Avoid gum and chewy foods and consider looking getting a mouth guard if you clench your jaw at night, to avoid causing more joint deterioration and pain.
6. Ringing in your ears
A ringing, whooshing, buzzing or humming sound in one or both your ears that’s not coming from an outside source is probably tinnitus.
It may come and go or you might hear it constantly.
You should see a GP if you get tinnitus regularly or it’s getting worse or affecting your sleep or concentration and making you feel anxious.
The cause might be an ear infection or a buildup of wax, but it could also be a sign of hearing loss.
7. Your heart is beating in your ears
Our hearts beat constantly, but it can be a red flag if you suddenly start hearing it in your ears.
This condition is called pulsatile tinnitus and it’s caused by a change in blood flow in the vessels near your.
Increased blood flow can occur when you’re exercising strenuously or when you’re pregnant, have severe anaemia or have an overactive thyroid, according to Tinnitus UK.
In some cases, changes in blood flow might also be caused by hardening in the arteries, high blood pressure or tumours in the head and neck, it added.
The charity advised that anyone experiencing pulsatile tinnitus should seek assessment by a doctor.
8. Clicking in your throat
A clicking sound coming from your throat could can be a sign of neurological diseases that affect muscle control, such as Parkinson’s Disease.
It can also be caused by excess thyroid cartilage that a doctor can remove surgically.
It’s a sign to see a doctor if your throat clicks when you swallow, according to Marshall Smith, a professor of otolaryngology at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
9. A loud bang as you fall asleep
Are you sometimes startled by a loud bang as you’re falling asleep or waking up?
You have a condition with an equally dramatic name: exploding head syndrome.
People with the condition say the noises sound like violent explosions, electric currents, clapping, fireworks and lightning, according to a study review published in Sleep Medicine Reviews.
The Sleep Foundation says these scary episodes only tend to last a second or two – and though it cause you miss out on sleep, it doesn’t technically harm your health.
10. Coughing and wheezing at the same time
We all suffer form coughs and colds at some point throughout the year.
But if you notice yourself making a wheezing sound sound as you cough, this might mean you have asthma and it’s a sign to see a GP.
Other symptoms of asthma include:
Breathlessness
A tight chest – it may feel like a band is tightening around it