Do you feel self-conscious or embarrassed when your tummy rumbles or your neck, elbows or knuckles make a cracking sound? Often your body takes you by surprise and can catch you off guard with these unusual and weird noises. Instead of cringing at these noises, we should try to understand the important signals that our body is trying to give us. Consider it a warning and take appropriate action to get to the root of the problem.
Nose whistling
Common sense says that when the airflow to your nasal passage is obstructed it may manifest itself as a wheezing, whistling sound. When your nasal passage is clogged by extra mucosal lining, it starts sending warning signals. A decongestant in the case of a cold, or an antihistamine in the case of allergies, can help ease the symptoms. The high-pitched, persistent sound may be a source of discomfort for not only you, but the people in your surroundings as well.
Whooshing in the ears
Do you feel a deafening noise in your head that seems to create a pressure on your temples, forcing you to put a pillow on your head to soothe the ‘whoosh’ sound? Your blood may be rushing through your jugular vein and carotid artery, just behind the ear, creating an eerie sensation and giving you anxiety. When you exclude yourself from the external noises you may hear the sound clearly. Furthermore, it could also be due to an infection or allergy that may be congesting your Eustachian tube.
Hiccups
This involuntarily noise that the diaphragm is responsible for can blow quite out of proportion at the most inappropriate times. Imagine the loud “hic” sound erupting from your throat in the middle of a presentation at work. Yikes! This uncontrollable reflex could be the result of gobbling up your food in hurry, or too much alcohol consumption. However, if they last for more than 48 hours, a more severe medical condition might be causing it.
Cracking of the neck
People with desk jobs will know the agony of a stiff neck and how you need to relax every short while to avoid the buildup of pressure that may lead to this odd sound. Don’t worry, the creaking sound certainly does not mean that you’re getting old. Instead, it’s just the facet joints in the neck that gets stretched when you bend your neck, thus decreasing the pressure on the surrounding fluid making it turn into gas, resulting in the weird popping sound. If this cracking is accompanied with pain, then it’s time to consult your physician.
Rumbling of the gut
Do you feel an odd and peculiar gurgling sound that seems to be offsetting your internal digestive system? It is simply the fluid and air bubbles moving around your digestive tract, finding a way of escape. You may even feel these bubbly sounds in the form of hunger pangs as an empty stomach stimulates the brain cells, which illicit a similar response from the intestines. However, sometimes it might not be so simple. If pain, cramps and nausea occur without bowel movements, it might require surgery to be treated.
You know your body better than anyone else, and you should certainly take these indications that your body gives you seriously and take suitable action to help overcome these feelings of discomforts.
