What causes my husband (81) to have night terrors and nightmares where he fights and yells really loud? I tell him he is hurting me.

I'm worried about you, perhaps you had better sleep in a separate room until you find a way to stop this.

My mom was on aricept. It helped her mind get sharper but induced night terrors she never had before. We stopped the aricept and I found natural supplements as a tincture from an Indian company called banyan botanicals. It took about 2 weeks for the night terrors to stop. And the natural supplements sharpen her mind just as much as aricept.

With that in mind, see if there were any recent medication changes or combos that could be the culprit.

What meds, if any, does he take at bedtime?

I see that your husband is diagnosed with dementia. Sleep disorders are not uncommon in dementia, and some types of dementia are associated with particular types of sleep disturbances. My husband had REM Behavior Sleep Disorder (RBD) a couple of decades before he was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. Those two go together, and either can come first. It is an acting out of dreams. It involves flailing of arms and legs, running motions, punching motions, and sometimes yelling. It can be very dangerous to bed partners! Fortunately it is treatable once it is diagnosed.

Since the night behaviors may be related to the dementia, the first medical folks I'd consult would be those who are following his dementia. Keep a journal for a few nights so you can describe in detail what is happening. The other professionals to consult would be sleep specialists. Having an overnight observation can help pinpoint what is going on and how to treat it.

Good luck! Let us know how this works out. We learn from each other.

Have you told his dementia doctor about these behaviors? Has he had a sleep study done?