A few tricks can help you adapt to your new environment. If possible, wake and sleep times should be shifted as early as two to three days before the flight. Those traveling west should go to bed later and those flying east should go to bed earlier. If you adjust to the new local time during the flight and take part in regular social life after arrival, the time change will be easier for you.
This also includes spending time and exercising outdoors for better “biological synchronization.” This is understood to mean that biological rhythms adjust more quickly when exposed to bright sunlight. During the flight, alcohol and highly stimulating drinks should be avoided. Light foods, especially vegetables and fish, are now offered by many airlines. If you want to be safe in this regard, you can already order a vegetarian meal when booking.
Morning, noon or evening?
On the tablet intake, a time difference of several hours can have a very negative effect. The best-known example is the birth control pill. According to a recommendation by the Federal Association of German Pharmacists, the pill should be taken at the usual time, as at home. If this is not possible, the interval between two tablets should be shortened rather than lengthened. The additional pill required for this can be taken from the reserve pack and swallowed twelve hours after the last regular dose.
In the case of combination preparations containing estrogens and progestins, this change can usually be tolerated more easily than with the so-called minipill, which contains only progestin. If the minipill is missed by more than three hours, it no longer works reliably. However, since diarrheal diseases, which can occur frequently especially when traveling to tropical countries and warm vacation destinations, also significantly impair the effectiveness of the pill, it is worthwhile to resort to additional contraceptive methods. In addition, condoms protect against HIV and other STDs.
