FLORIDA -- A recent study suggests the average Floridian has missed more than twenty-two hours of sleep a week since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Dr. Laura Arline, Chief Quality Officer with BayCare Health System, said she's not surprised.

"The pandemic has really thrown things off quite a bit in terms of people’s routines and that includes their sleep routine," said Dr. Arline.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents say worrying about coronavirus is causing their insomnia.

Dr. Arline says people still have a lot of questions.

"What’s happening with the virus? What to know? When’s the vaccine going to come out? "When am I going to be able to hug my family and friends again? And if someone’s sick, that’s going to elevate that level of worry."

But she says if you're not getting enough sleep, it can impact your overall health.

"It really effects just about every organ system of the body,' said Dr. Arline. "If you don’t sleep well at all, it takes a hit on your immune system."

A lack of sleep impacts your body and mind.

"It effects your mental health, so it can lead to depression and anxiety, it can also cause weight gain, can lead to daily headaches and gastrointestinal symptoms, memory issues, loss of focus," said Dr. Arline. "Disease-wise, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure."

"When we sleep that’s when we rest and we recover and we heal," she added.

Dr. Arline spoke with Spectrum Bay News 9 Digital Journalist Scott Harrell about how to get a better night's sleep. Click here for those tips.

National Sleep Foundation explains why sleep is especially important during a pandemic:

• Sleep empowers an effective immune system. Solid nightly rest strengthens our body’s defenses, and studies have even found that lack of sleep can make some vaccines less effective. 
• Sleep heightens brain function. Our mind works better when we get good sleep, contributing to complex thinking, learning, memory, and decision-making. For adults and children adapting to work and school at home, good sleep can help them stay sharp. 
• Sleep enhances mood. Lack of sleep can make a person irritable, drag down their energy level, and cause or worsen feelings of depression.  
• Sleep improves mental health. Besides depression, studies have found that a lack of sleep is linked with mental health conditions like anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).