How Does Serotonin Make You Feel?

Serotonin is a hormone that helps to control and regulate many bodily functions, such as moods, feelings of well-being, bowel movements, blood clotting, and sleep. Too little serotonin can cause depression. High serotonin levels can cause shivering, heavy sweating, confusion, restlessness, headaches, high blood pressure (hypertension), muscle twitching, diarrhea, and more.

Serotonin is a hormone that helps to stabilize moods, regulate feelings of well-being and happiness, regulate anxiety, and control sleep. Serotonin affects the entire body and can also help regulate eating and digestion. Too little serotonin can lead to depression while too much serotonin can lead to excessive nerve cell activity. 

The body uses serotonin in a number of different ways:

• Mood
  • Serotonin in the brain helps to regulate mood, happiness, and anxiety
  • When serotonin levels are at normal levels, it helps a person feel more focused, stable, happy, and calm
  • Low levels of serotonin are linked to depression
  • Increased levels of serotonin can decrease arousal
• Sleep
  • Serotonin stimulates the parts of the brain that control sleep and waking
• Bowel movements 
  • Serotonin in the stomach and intestines helps control bowel movements and bowel function
• Nausea 
  • When you become nauseated, serotonin is produced, and this helps remove bad food or other substances from the body
• Blood clotting 
  • Serotonin triggers tiny arteries to narrow, which helps forms blood clots and helps wounds to heal
• Bone health 
  • Too much serotonin in the bones can lead to weakened bones (osteoporosis)

Low levels of serotonin are associated with some behavioral and emotional disorders, including: 

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Suicidal behavior
  • If you or someone you know are in crisis, call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is available to anyone. All calls are confidential. http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org 

High levels of serotonin can cause a condition called serotonin syndrome, which can lead to side effects such as: 

• Shivering
• Heavy sweating
• Confusion
• Restlessness
• Headaches
• High blood pressure (hypertension) 
• Muscle twitching
• Diarrhea
• High fever
• Loss of consciousness
• Seizures
• Irregular heartbeats

People at risk for developing serotonin syndrome are those who:

• Take medications that increase serotonin action
• Increase the dose of medications known to raise serotonin levels
• Take more than one drug known to increase serotonin
• Take certain herbal supplements known to increase serotonin levels
• Take an illicit drug known to increase serotonin levels