Panic attacks when sleeping

My boyfriend and i have just moved in together, he takes violent outbursts in his sleep(punches and kicks the bed), especaially after he has been drinking. Over the last few nights he has been having panic attacks shortly after he has fallen asleep.ehs exxplained that he used to get them when he was younger but they stopped and now they have started again. during these attacks he wakes up then he breaths heavily stops breathing then breaths frantically and has shouting outbursts wanting it to stop. I have tried to get him to see a GP, however he will not go. can you help?

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Well, I've had those too and they are aweful.  I have to say that alcohol makes it worse, because it disrupts your sleep pattern.  It comes and goes with me too, but I have been on something to make me sleep for about 4 years now, for fear of these night attacks.  I went for about 8/9 months without anything to make me sleep, but I had no stress in my life.  Once stress comes back, I'm back on the meds.  Anyway, sounds like he is kicking into fight or flight and his body is releasing adrenaline.  A panic attack is the confusion that your body is ready to fight or run and you're just laying or sitting there.  If one hits me in the daytime, then I do some strenuous exercise for about 20 minutes or so and it burns off those scary chemicals.  At night, I try to get my breathing under control and then breathe deeply but slowly, all the while telling myself it's just my body's reaction to stress, I'm not going to die.  Nevertheless, I have to have meds usually (like ativan) to help me sleep.  He is not going to be able to self medicate with alcohol and he is certainly not going to get anywhere without trying something to help himself.  I go to the gym too in the afternoon and that has been helping me to reduce the amt. of med that I need to sleep without a panic attack.  Bless his heart I know how he feels, yuck!