So that's the term for it. This happened to me last night. It felt like was in a horror movie. Waking up gasping for air.
I've had panic attacks in the middle of the night, and it's not an unusual thing. But the gasping for air thing might indicate sleep apnea. If you snore, then there's an even higher likelihood that's your problem. I know because I have mild sleep apnea and would occasionally wake up out of a sound sleep because I had stopped breathing. Sleep apnea is nothing to mess with, but is also easily treated.
I highly encourage you to have a sleep study done to help you get to the bottom of what's going on. In the meantime, try not to sleep on your back. I wish you all the best!