How do you all cope the next day with zero sleep?

It is 4:45 am and I haven't slept a lick. I have been up all night plagued with anxiety about a social function I have to attend in 6 hours. I have been trying to get to sleep on and off, but I've mostly been on the forums posting all night.

So, I have to go to my daughter's seventh bday party and be with my ex and his entire family plus some strangers who might try to talk to me lol. I know I will be extra sensitive and irritable and jumpy because of the lack of sleep. It is going to be way worse than if I could have slept. I am now officially terrified to face this party and the day in general. I do what I have to for my kids, but having Aspergers I already hate social events, don't know how to socialize and it gives me soooo much anxiety. Plus my ex is mean. There will also certainly be sensory overload.

So, how do you all deal when you have had zero sleep the night before? What am I going to do? I'm afraid I'll have a panic attack or freak out on someone.

Hey, how did it go? Sorry this reply is so late!
Maybe it would be good in this kind of situation to have a friend who knows about how you feel with you, so they can help you out. Maybe they could keep you talking to them, bring you coffee, help you if you need to sit down. So what happened?

I know your event probably already happened, but I'll tell you what I try to tell myself. I say, let this be a test to see if I can get through the nightmare of not sleeping at all before a big event and live to tell about it. I recently had to work a big exciting job and couldnt sleep a single minute the whole night before. I layed in bed for 9 hours not sleeping and then worked this big event all day. it was painful, but after the first couple of hours i apparently became so tried that I was making everyone laugh and have fun. I was too tired to worry, and it was actually easier to be social. i was even joking with famous people. who knew?

Social anxiety is tricky. You're going to have to accept that you will be uncomfortable and then forgive yourself for it. When you are social, your body fills with adrenaline and the sensation can be scary. It is a chemical that is meant for high stress fight-or-flight scenarios, so when you set foot in a big room full of people (including ex's) and then your body rushes and your heart pounds, it is really a chemical reaction that is TOTALLY normal. When you feel it, accept it. Know that your body is doing exactly what its supposed to do, and in ten minutes the chemical will slow and stop and you'll feel normal again.

A good trick is to give yourself an easy activity to do for those first five or ten minutes while your body is adjusting. enter the room and then excuse yourself to make a phone call. enter the room and go straight to the bathroom. then come back out when you feel more comfortable.

Also, a great thing is to remember that EVERYONE is much more preoccupied with themselves than you. We are all busy worrying about what everyone else thinks of us. Do some people-watching. Watch how they walk by windows and look at their own reflections. It will make you worry less about what they think

Maybe if you can tackle those anxieties (and i know Aspergers makes it tough) you will feel less nervous about sleeping the night before. Its really hard when you know your emotional and mental stability is dependent on your sleep. I'm the same way.

Thanks for your advice. I was pretty close to having a panic attack at the party and couldn't put together a complete sentence. I think the parents understood that it was a bit of an uncomfortable situation so they understood my anxiety. Near the end I calmed down but it is such an uncomfortable feeling when you are going through it. I just want the ground to swallow me whole.

I'm glad the parents understood. Yah, it's a horrible feeling, you're going to be ok though.

I don't. I get all zombed out or I get a thumping headache, like the one I've got right now, and I hate taking painkillers so I'll suffer with it all day. I have resorted to alcohol before, just to get into a stupor and actually sleep, but I get a hangover and that's just as bad. But oh god, some precious sleep would be so good right now