About 50-70 million Americans have a chronic sleep disorder.

Now, stress surrounding the pandemic has created a host of new sleep challenges—even for people who had no problems sleeping before.

But finding a way to get enough sleep can help keep your immune system healthy, promote emotional wellness and curb stress, depression and anxiety. Here's how.

As stress, isolation, anxiety and depression set in during COVID-19, many people are also having problems sleeping. Mental health and sleep are often connected. Insomnia—difficulty falling or staying asleep—is the most common sleep diagnosis impacted by a person's anxiety or stress levels as rumination on life's stressors can keep your mind from resting. And not being able to sleep can create more stress.

Common factors that may impact sleep during the coronavirus pandemic include:

Between panic over the spread of the virus, loss of control, fear of the unknown and information overload, fear and anxiety during a pandemic can be overwhelming. Depression can be exacerbated by isolation at home, and both are known to have the potential to cause significant sleeping problems. Both can disrupt sleep as a racing mind keeps your body tossing and turning.

Being at home can make it difficult to keep track of the time, and even the day, especially without typical time "anchors" like dropping kids at school, arriving at the office or going to the gym. Plus, if you don't make efforts to go outside or get natural light, your body's light-based cues for wakefulness and sleep known as zeitgebers might be thrown off. These cues are crucial to our circadian rhythm—our 24-hour internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

From video chats, TV marathons or working on a computer for hours, social distancing can result in a huge increase in screen time. But excess screen time, especially later in the evening, can not only make it harder to wind your brain down, but the screens' blue light can suppress the natural production of melatonin—a hormone that your body makes to help you sleep.

Sleep is critical at all times—it can directly impact how our bodies and minds function. Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Adults who sleep fewer than 7 hours each night are more likely to say they have had health problems, including heart attack, asthma and depression.3

But sleep can help your body in many ways, such as:

Getting consistent and solid rest can strengthen your body's defenses. Studies have even found that lack of sleep can make some vaccines less effective.

High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. When you sleep, your blood pressure goes down. But having sleep problems means your blood pressure stays higher for a longer amount of time.

Getting enough sleep can help prevent irritability and improve energy levels. Because sleep and mental health are so closely linked, studies have shown that treating a sleep disorder may also alleviate symptoms of a co-occurring mental health problem.4

Our mind works better when we get good sleep, contributing to complex thinking, learning, memory and decision-making.

Short-term sleep issues are common and may improve with some simple lifestyle changes. However, if symptoms persist, you may have a more serious sleep condition, so talk with a health care provider if you have concerns.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, including on weekends.

Naps can make one less tired in the evenings, and interfere with your sleep rhythm and ability to fall asleep.

Go for a walk or exercise at home—just not within a few hours before bedtime.

The sweet spot for most adults appears to be 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Less than that isn't sufficient, but also excessive time in bed can promote feelings of fatigue.

Put away your phone and turn off the TV at least an hour before going to sleep.

Especially alcohol and foods high in fat or sugar as that could keep the body awake.

For optimal sleep, it's best to maintain a peaceful environment.

Those who have been sick with the virus and front-line medical workers face the brunt of the direct impacts of the disease. But consequences of the pandemic have affected us all, and pose different barriers to sleep. Also, those who already face mental health issues are higher at risk for worsening conditions, which may affect their sleep. Talk to your health care provider if you have concerns with your sleep.