Close Encounters of the Roommate Kind

I've been having trouble sleeping lately. My insomnia seems to occur in cycles throughout the year. Sometimes I can fall asleep in seconds and sleep like a rock for the next twelve hours, and other times I lie awake for hours unable to fall asleep and then I'll wake up two hours later unable to fall back to sleep. I think I found a cure though.

Last night, after lying in bed trying, unsuccessfully for over an hour. to fall asleep, I got up to use the bathroom. Through the thin door I heard my roommate talking. She has, on occasion talked in her sleep and sleeptalking is often amusing, so I attempted to hear what she was saying as she dreamt, but was unable to hear over the noise of a fan. I finished up in the bathroom, and as I was about to go out into the bedroom my overactive imagination kicked in. I started wondering if she was sleepwalking (which she hasn't done, as far as I know, I'm just not very rational when I am sleep deprived), and then I started thinking about scary stories of people getting killed by waking up a sleepwalker. It was at this point that I thought, "what if she is sleepwalking and I wake her up and I get killed?!!!" Have I mentioned that I have an overactive imagination and am not the most rational person when I am tired? To prevent getting killed I decided to flip on the light (which was off because I hate having to wait for my eyes to adjust from dark to light and then back again. I can see just fine in the dark, I just need the light to protect me from the hypothetical homicidal tendencies of my non-sleepwalking roommate.). I walked out and not two feet from me stood my roommate. (Imagine Hitchcockian music playing here.) My hand flew to my mouth as I screamed. Wide awake, and not sleepwalking, she gaped at me too. We stood like that for a good five seconds, until my brain registered that I was not going to get murdered. We passed each other as she went to the bathroom and I returned to my bed. I must have laughed for ten minutes straight.

She came out and told me that her heart was still racing. Mine was as well, but I couldn't tell her because I was laughing so hard. After suppressing my giggles and guffaws I was able to fall asleep and slept soundly for the rest of the night. Laughter is apparently the best medicine for insomnia.