Mom started clapping in the middle of the night! Is there anything I can do besides give her sleeping meds?

Night issues are very common with AD. Getting days confused with nights and circadian rhythms mixed up go with the territory too, unfortunately. "If only" a remedy could be found to cure the wakefulness at night, many a problem would be solved for those who suffer, both the patient AND the care takers who live with them.

My mother is in the moderately advanced stage of dementia & rarely sleeps much at night. She lives in a Memory Care ALF so the caregivers are there 24/7 and can tend to her middle of the night issues. Nothing has worked as far as helping her sleep............sleeping pills are a no-go b/c she falls constantly as it is and sleep aids just add to that problem. People have had luck with CBD oil and one poster here swears by the BioMat mini he got for his mom with AD, which he said turned her from a lion into a lamb. Calmed her down to the extent she sleeps like a baby. It's a large heating pad type of thing with amethyst crystals inside, Google it for the facts.

AD and dementia can reach the point where in-home care becomes impossible, as it requires a village to care for these patients. Speak to your mom's doctor for guidance I guess.

Wishing you the best of luck with the issues you and she are facing.

If she is wandering at night that poses a bigger problem than talking or clapping.
There is a possibility that she could get out of the house and be long gone before you are aware of it.
There are medications that can reduce anxiety.
Is she experiencing hallucinations? Is that the reason for the talking and clapping? Maybe she sees something and is trying to "shoo" it out of the room or the house. Clapping and talking to it would be a way to "get it moving"
Is she active during the day so that she would sleep through the night?
Is she eating or drinking late before she goes to bed so that she has to get up or can not get to sleep because she ate late?
Contact her doctor and ask if a medication to curb anxiety would help. It may take a while to get the dose and or medication right but it is worth a try.
Many of the "sleeping medications" contain diphenhydramine and that can result in a bit of what I call "brain fog" in the morning. I took Benadryl one night and woke up so foggy I was pretty much nonfunctional for a good part of the morning. I had been giving it to my Husband for his allergies and realized that with his dementia to have an even foggier brain was probably not a good thing. I stopped giving it to him. I would be very cautious of things like that. Also if she does get up and wander around with the sleeping pill in her she may be very unsteady on her feet and may fall.
You will get suggestions for Melatonin, CBD oil and herbal teas I would check with the pharmacist to be sure that there are no interactions you have to be concerned about with any of the other medications she might be talking. Even herbals have a potential for side effects and interactions.