Recurring hypnagogic experiences - abduction memory or sleep paralysis?

I've been having the same repeating experience for about three years now, roughly twice monthly. I wake up completely paralysed, aware of my surroundings but unable to move, and I see three distinct humanoid figures standing around my bed. They're tall, thin, with disproportionately large eyes - classic 'grey alien' description really.

The experiences last maybe 30-60 seconds of subjective time, then I can move again and the figures vanish instantly. There's never any pain or discomfort, just overwhelming anxiety while it's happening. I've researched this extensively and I know it matches textbook sleep paralysis/hypnagogic hallucinations, but here's the weird bit - I occasionally find small unexplained marks on my body after episodes. Tiny triangular marks, usually on my arms or legs.

My rational brain says 'sleep paralysis, stress-induced hallucinations, you're doing the marks yourself unconsciously.' But there's a part of me that wonders if these are actual abduction experiences being suppressed as nightmares. Has anyone else experienced similar? How did you determine whether it was paranormal or medical?

The marks are the most interesting detail here. Sleep paralysis doesn't usually involve physical evidence. That pushes this more towards genuine alien contact territory. Have you photographed the marks? That's the kind of evidence that could be analysed properly. Also, what's the typical timing - are you falling asleep or waking up when this happens?

I occasionally find small unexplained marks on my body

The alien abduction experience is so consistent across cultures and time periods that either it's: A) a genuine phenomenon, B) a universal psychological experience, or C) a combination. Your experience matches classic abduction narratives, which either means you've internalised those narratives or you're having authentic experiences. Hard to distinguish.

Book an appointment with a sleep specialist. Get them to evaluate the paralysis episodes and the marks. If it's genuine medical sleep paralysis, they can help. If they can't explain it, then you explore other options. Don't assume alien contact before ruling out sleep pathology.

Hypnagogic experiences can absolutely feel real - your brain is literally hallucinating whilst you're conscious. The marks could be psychosomatic responses to stress. That doesn't mean the experiences are 'not real' in a meaningful sense, just that they might not be literal alien contact.

Three years of recurring experiences with physical evidence is genuinely interesting. Have you tried keeping a detailed log? Date, time, duration, environmental conditions, mark locations, size, appearance? That data could reveal patterns that point towards either medical or paranormal explanation.

The most compelling abduction cases involve missing time and multiple witnesses. You've got neither here, so it's most likely sleep paralysis with psychological overlay. But keep documenting it - you might eventually identify a pattern that suggests something genuinely anomalous.