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Serotonin

Serotonin helps your body to:

  • balance your mood and experience pleasure
  • heal wounds
  • clot blood
  • control movement

More specifically, serotonin intervenes in these functions:

  • Bowel movements: About 90% of the serotonin in your body is produced in your intestines. It helps control bowel movements and function.
  • Mood: Serotonin in the brain is believed to regulate feelings, including happiness and anxiety. 
    Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are thought to help treat mood disorders like depression by increasing serotonin activity in your brain.
  • Nausea: Serotonin in your stomach and intestines helps your body feel nausea and start vomiting in response to illness, foods, or other conditions.
  • Sleep and waking: Neurotransmitters, including serotonin, regulate your ability to stay awake. While you sleep, serotonin is involved in switching between REM and non-REM sleep.
  • Blood clotting: Platelets in your blood store serotonin. When your body needs to repair damage, platelets release serotonin to help stop bleeding and heal wounds.
  • Sex drive: Serotonin is involved in controlling the body’s sexual functions. This may be why medications that affect serotonin levels are associated with sexual side effects.
  • serotonin syndrome
    • serotonin syndrome is a serious drug reaction. It is caused by medications that build up high levels of serotonin in the body