Food intake, but also seemingly food deprivation, can result in an increase of melatonin levels both in tissue and in blood
(Bubenik, 2002). Food can act as a stimulus to endogenous melatonin release in the same way as dietary supplementation of
melatonin. The lack of scientific data makes it difficult to quantify both of these effects separately. As melatonin increases in the blood after food intake, this has been suggested as the cause of the sleepiness sometimes felt after the midday meal (Bubenik, 2002).