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Background: Sleep deprivation has numerous negative consequences on the human body and mind. It exacerbates anxiety, irritability, and nervousness and worsens the cardiovascular function. This study aimed at evaluating the quality of sleep in patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit. Methods: This was a descriptive study with 93 patients hospitalized in critical care units of three teaching hospitals in 2016. The samples were chosen using a convenient sampling method. The quality of sleep was assessed in two consecutive days using the demographic data form and the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ). Descriptive and inferential statistics was used for data analysis via the SPSS software version 20. Results: It was found that more than 90 % of the patients in the cardiac care units had a low level of quality of sleep. The patients had problems in the depth of sleep, ease in falling asleep, frequent waking from sleep, ease in returning to sleep, and subjective sleep quality. The mean scores of the quality of sleep before hospitalization and in the first night after hospitalization were 63.68 (SD = 17.96) and 54.2 (SD = 16.90), respectively. A statistically significant correlation was reported between the quality of sleep in the night before and the first night of hospitalization (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Due to the high prevalence of sleep disorders in patients admitted to cardiac intensive care units and the consequences of low sleep quality on their health, appropriate interventions for improving the quality of sleep in patients admitted to coronary care units are required.