Going into coughing fits can be due to infections such as whooping cough, asthma, COPD, pneumonia, tuberculosis, breathing in dust or smoke and other pollutants.
Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that causes violent coughing fits and often has a whooping sound upon inhalation.
Pneumonia is inflammation of your lungs and can also lead to severe coughing and coughing fits.
Bronchitis is inflammation of your bronchial tubes and can cause coughing and coughing fits and often with mucus.
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection which mainly affects your lungs and coughing, fever and fatigue.
COPD is a group of lung diseases also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that causes airflow obstruction and difficulty breathing which can lead to coughing and coughing fits.
Choking on something including food can trigger and cause a violent coughing fit and coughing reflex which helps to dislodge the object.
Sometimes it can just be something in the air that is causing you to have coughing fits but if the coughing fits don't stop you should see a doctor.
To stop coughing so hard you gag you should drink plenty of water, sip some hot water with honey, drink some warm or hot tea with honey, take cough medicine, take a steamy shower and use a humidifier in your home.
If the humidity is high and causing the coughing that is making you gag then you should stay in an air conditioned room or home and even use a dehumidifier.
If the cough seems to worsen once you lie flat, try propping up your head and use a wedge pillow or multiple bed pillows to make yourself comfortable while lying in a position that keeps your head elevated above the rest of your body.
The reason you cough when you get too hot is because the hot air enters the nasal cavity and then activates the thermal sensors that are present in your nerves in the voice box and airways which can cause coughing and irritation.
When the humidity is too high you can experience nausea, coughing and breathing issues and when the humidity is too low you can experience dry skin, itchy eyes and stuffy nose.
If the outdoor humidity is high, make sure to drink lots of water, even before you feel thirsty.
This will help replenish your body of essential minerals and combat overheating due to dehydration.
The same rule is true for low humidity situations, where dehydration may be less apparent.