diff --git a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
index 3472dda378..4ed6b1ef27 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ use pq_proto::FeStartupPacket;
 use pq_proto::{BeMessage, FeMessage, RowDescriptor};
 use std::borrow::Cow;
 use std::io;
+use std::pin::Pin;
 use std::str;
 use std::str::FromStr;
 use std::sync::Arc;
@@ -316,6 +317,8 @@ struct PageServerHandler {
 
     /// See [`PageServerConf::server_side_batch_timeout`]
     server_side_batch_timeout: Option<Duration>,
+
+    server_side_batch_timer: Pin<Box<tokio::time::Sleep>>,
 }
 
 struct Carry {
@@ -585,6 +588,7 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
             timeline_handles: TimelineHandles::new(tenant_manager),
             cancel,
             server_side_batch_timeout,
+            server_side_batch_timer: Box::pin(tokio::time::sleep(Duration::ZERO)),
         }
     }
 
@@ -650,24 +654,12 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
                         }
                         Some(batch_timeout) => {
                             // Take into consideration the time the carry spent waiting.
-                            let batch_timeout =
-                                batch_timeout.saturating_sub(carry.started_at.elapsed());
-                            if batch_timeout.is_zero() {
-                                // the timer doesn't support restarting with zero duration
-                                return Ok(BatchOrEof::Batch(smallvec::smallvec![
-                                    maybe_carry
-                                        .take()
-                                        .expect("we already checked it's Some")
-                                        .msg
-                                ]));
-                            } else {
-                                batching_deadline_storage = Some(Box::pin(async move {
-                                    tokio::time::sleep(batch_timeout).await;
-                                }));
-                                Either::Right(
-                                    batching_deadline_storage.as_mut().expect("we just set it"),
-                                )
-                            }
+                            let batch_deadline = carry.started_at + batch_timeout;
+                            self.server_side_batch_timer.as_mut().reset(batch_deadline.into());
+                            batching_deadline_storage = Some(&mut self.server_side_batch_timer);
+                            Either::Right(
+                                batching_deadline_storage.as_mut().expect("we just set it"),
+                            )
                         }
                     }
                 }