5 Awkward Noises That Are Totally Normal For Your Body To Make

Weird Noises Your Body Makes
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Every time I walk down the stairs, my ankle clicks. It's subtle, but definitely noticeable. Click, click, click, click, click...you'll hear it the whole way down. When I first heard the noise I freaked out, sure that it meant major walking issues down the line. But my doctor told me not to worry, that the several sprained ankles I sustained as a kid resulted in a joint that traps a little extra air. The air comes out when I bend my foot to walk down a step, hence the clicking.

Turns out, there are plenty of noises your body makes that can set off alarm bells for no reason. Because, face it, bodies are just weird.

Here, 5 strange noises that are completely normal for your body to make. (Plus, 12 sounds you don't want to hear.)

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Popping or crackling knees

Do your knees snap, crackle, and pop every time you bend down? That doesn't mean you need to rush to a doctor, or even that you'll have knee problems as you age. In fact, it probably means that nothing is wrong with you at all. Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology recently used a new acoustic device to listen in on both healthy and injured knees as they bent. What they found is that even the healthy knees made cacophonous popping and cracking sounds. 

That said, there are certain times when noisy knees can signal a bigger problem, like when they come with swelling or pain. So if your cracking knees are also hurting, see your doctor. 

A gurgle in your throat
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It always happens at the wrong moment, like right when you open your mouth to say something in a quiet room: a loud, embarrassing gurgle in your throat like there's a frog just waiting to jump out. While there's no amphibian hiding in there, you did probably just eat something too fast. Just like a burp, throat gurgles let out excess air from your stomach. When you eat too fast, chew gum, or drink something carbonated, there's a good chance you're swallowing air. That air comes back up as a burp or a gurgle, according to the Mayo Clinic. (Take back control of your eating—and lose weight in the process—with our 21-Day Challenge!)

Still, it should only be an every once in a while thing. If your throat is constantly gurgling, check in with a doctor to make sure you don't have a more serious problem, like GERD or dysphagia, a condition in which you have problems swallowing.

MORE: 8 Things That Happen When You Finally Stop Drinking Diet Soda

A rumbling stomach
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The one happens so often that you probably don't even think of a growling stomach as weird—unless it's really loud, that is, and in the middle of an important meeting at work. But even if your tummy rumbles are nearly deafening, there's probably nothing to worry about. That's because your stomach always grumbles louder in stressful situations: Stress causes your stomach muscles to contract, making your stomach growl, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

A whistle in your nose

It's only your lips that should whistle, right? Not always. Sometimes you'll hear a high-pitched whistle from your nose, too, which probably means that you're congested and blowing your nose will clear it up. When a lot of air is forced through a little hole, that's what makes a whistle. 

There are, however, some times when it can indicate a more serious problem like a deviated septum or a hole in your septum, according to the Mayo Clinic. So if your nose whistles consistently, then you might want to head to an ear, nose, and throat specialist.


A loud noise from...down there
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Yep, we're talking about queefing. And there's absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. What some people think of as "vagina farts" is just a natural thing that sometimes happens when you're doing the deed. Repeatedly pushing a penis or toy in and out of your vagina creates plenty of opportunity for air to get trapped inside. And once air is in there, it needs to come out. Though it might not sound pleasant, queefing is always normal.

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