Why does my bf choke and cough violently in his sleep?

[lisamariebl]

Hello,
this concerns my life partner (58 years old, male). I've been concerned for a while now. He, quite regularly, gets very bad coughing fits while he sleeps. He snores badly and to me it sounds like he's "forgetting" to swallow his saliva and after some has build up in his mouth he starts choking a little and goes into a very bad coughing fit. He's even thrown up twice because of the violent nature of those coughs. He's not getting the sleep he needs and it sounds very painful to me. I'm not getting any sleep either because I'm afraid he might need help in case he actually really starts choking. I'm petrified to go to sleep. But sadly we've no health insurance and no money to spare. If anybody could help us to make sleeping a more peaceful experience again, that would be wonderful. Is it a disease or something less harmful? Is there anyway of making it better even if you can't afford loads of doctors appointments? Any advice or information is greatly appreciated!! Thank you!