I was awaken a couple of times through the night coughing, gagging etc. and found out I have sleep apnea...I also found out I snore...for a lady that is pretty embarrasing. Now I sleep with a breathing CPAP machine and things have settled down.
well im not a professional, but i have been thru what he is going thru. i don't have a solution, but i know from what the doctors told me is that it is asthma... (unfortunately i am not able to afford the meds, so yeah, but im sure it can be fixed) in my case though, a lot of it can be helped by controlling the temperature. mine is worse if i get too hot, so you might try turning up the AC or using a fan. but that's just me. i hope this helps!