What is the Difference Between Serotonin vs Dopamine?

Serotonin and dopamine are both neurotransmitters that move nerve impulses from one brain cell to another. They each play a key role in controlling lots of things, including energy levels, libido, mood, and sleep patterns, which is why a deficiency in either dopamine or serotonin can lead to a number of unwelcome symptoms and side effects. So if you are experiencing some inexplicable symptoms, what is the difference between serotonin vs dopamine deficiency symptoms?

Dopamine is closely linked to mood and is part of our pleasure response, which is why good sex causes the brain to be flooded with dopamine. It is also linked to motivation and movement, and a lack of dopamine plays a part in several mental health disorders, including depression.

Serotonin is linked to our sensory perceptions, emotions and mood, but it also controls sleep patterns, appetite, blood pressure and body temperature, plus it plays a big role in the female menstrual cycle and other hormonally controlled functions.

What is the difference between serotonin vs dopamine deficiency symptoms?

When it comes to a dopamine vs serotonin deficiency, there are similarities and differences between the symptoms you will experience. Levels of serotonin and dopamine can fluctuate at different times of the day, so you may find that your symptoms come and go, but when your levels of serotonin and dopamine are very low, other more permanent symptoms may appear. It is also important to note that low levels of one chemical may also affect levels of the other.

What is the difference between serotonin vs dopamine symptoms?

Low levels of dopamine are typically linked to depression and a corresponding lack of self motivation. People with a dopamine deficiency will suffer from a depressed mood, a lack of energy, reduced sex drive and a general sense of apathy. Dopamine deficiency is also linked to a reduction in the ability to take pleasure from normal activities and a lack of motivation to exercise. Low dopamine can also cause you to sleep more than usual. Other symptoms of a dopamine deficiency include weight gain due to cravings of starchy foods, and restless leg syndrome caused by muscle tremors.

Low levels of serotonin can cause many of the same symptoms seen in patients suffering from low dopamine levels, including depression and a reduced pleasure response to activities you previously enjoyed. However, a serotonin deficiency is very often linked to sleep problems, but rather than sleeping too much as often happens when dopamine levels are too low, patients with abnormally low levels of serotonin find it difficult to get to sleep in the first place tend to suffer from insomnia.

What is the difference between serotonin vs dopamine deficiency symptoms?

A quick and easy way to work out if your problems are being caused by low levels of serotonin or dopamine is to look at the types of food your body craves when you are feeling low, depressed, apathetic, or unable to sleep. People with low levels of dopamine generally crave stimulants such as coffee or chocolate whereas low levels of serotonin often lead to a craving for starchy foods such as milk, cheese, or bananas.