Last Night I Experienced Something That Had Never Happened To

Last night I experienced something that had never happened to me before. I woke in the middle of the night unable to breathe. I sat on the edge of the bed and for about 20 seconds (i really don't know how long) trying to breathe in and out but could not. It was as if I was trying to get a breath through a collapsed straw. Nothing was going in or out. I was not choking on anything. Eventually, I did get air in and my breathing became normal. I am not a snorer. I have in the past woken up gasping for air. That is very rare and has happened twice in my adult years. No residual effects so far today.