diff --git a/core-api/src/main/java/com/optimizely/ab/event/BatchEventProcessor.java b/core-api/src/main/java/com/optimizely/ab/event/BatchEventProcessor.java
index 201f6e8ee..f10c134b3 100644
--- a/core-api/src/main/java/com/optimizely/ab/event/BatchEventProcessor.java
+++ b/core-api/src/main/java/com/optimizely/ab/event/BatchEventProcessor.java
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ public class BatchEventProcessor implements EventProcessor, AutoCloseable {
     public static final String CONFIG_CLOSE_TIMEOUT  = "event.processor.close.timeout";
 
     public static final int DEFAULT_QUEUE_CAPACITY    = 1000;
+    public static final int DEFAULT_EMPTY_COUNT = 2;
     public static final int DEFAULT_BATCH_SIZE        = 10;
     public static final long DEFAULT_BATCH_INTERVAL   = TimeUnit.SECONDS.toMillis(30);
     public static final long DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_INTERVAL = TimeUnit.SECONDS.toMillis(5);
@@ -129,19 +130,26 @@ public class EventConsumer implements Runnable {
         @Override
         public void run() {
             try {
+                int emptyCount = 0;
+
                 while (true) {
-                    if (System.currentTimeMillis() > deadline) {
+                    if (System.currentTimeMillis() >= deadline) {
                         logger.debug("Deadline exceeded flushing current batch.");
                         flush();
+                        deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + flushInterval;
                     }
 
-                    Object item = eventQueue.poll(50, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
+                    long timeout = deadline - System.currentTimeMillis();
+                    Object item = emptyCount > DEFAULT_EMPTY_COUNT ? eventQueue.take() : eventQueue.poll(timeout, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
+
                     if (item == null) {
-                        logger.debug("Empty item, sleeping for 50ms.");
-                        Thread.sleep(50);
+                        logger.debug("Empty item after waiting flush interval.");
+                        emptyCount++;
                         continue;
                     }
 
+                    emptyCount = 0;
+
                     if (item == SHUTDOWN_SIGNAL) {
                         logger.info("Received shutdown signal.");
                         break;
diff --git a/core-api/src/test/java/com/optimizely/ab/event/BatchEventProcessorTest.java b/core-api/src/test/java/com/optimizely/ab/event/BatchEventProcessorTest.java
index 8f8e94a8a..5f42e9a3f 100644
--- a/core-api/src/test/java/com/optimizely/ab/event/BatchEventProcessorTest.java
+++ b/core-api/src/test/java/com/optimizely/ab/event/BatchEventProcessorTest.java
@@ -84,43 +84,45 @@ public void testDrainOnClose() throws Exception {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void testFlushOnMaxTimeout() throws Exception {
+    public void testFlushMaxBatchSize() throws Exception {
         CountDownLatch countDownLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
         setEventProcessor(logEvent -> {
+            assertEquals(MAX_BATCH_SIZE, logEvent.getEventBatch().getVisitors().size());
             eventHandlerRule.dispatchEvent(logEvent);
             countDownLatch.countDown();
         });
 
-        UserEvent userEvent = buildConversionEvent(EVENT_NAME);
-        eventProcessor.process(userEvent);
-        eventHandlerRule.expectConversion(EVENT_NAME, USER_ID);
+        for (int i = 0; i < MAX_BATCH_SIZE; i++) {
+            String eventName = EVENT_NAME + i;
+            UserEvent userEvent = buildConversionEvent(eventName);
+            eventProcessor.process(userEvent);
+            eventHandlerRule.expectConversion(eventName, USER_ID);
+        }
 
         if (!countDownLatch.await(MAX_DURATION_MS * 3, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)) {
             fail("Exceeded timeout waiting for events to flush.");
         }
 
-        eventProcessor.close();
         assertEquals(0, eventQueue.size());
         eventHandlerRule.expectCalls(1);
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void testFlushMaxBatchSize() throws Exception {
+    public void testFlushOnMaxTimeout() throws Exception {
+        UserEvent userEvent = buildConversionEvent(EVENT_NAME);
+
         CountDownLatch countDownLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
         setEventProcessor(logEvent -> {
-            assertEquals(MAX_BATCH_SIZE, logEvent.getEventBatch().getVisitors().size());
             eventHandlerRule.dispatchEvent(logEvent);
             countDownLatch.countDown();
         });
 
-        for (int i = 0; i < MAX_BATCH_SIZE; i++) {
-            String eventName = EVENT_NAME + i;
-            UserEvent userEvent = buildConversionEvent(eventName);
-            eventProcessor.process(userEvent);
-            eventHandlerRule.expectConversion(eventName, USER_ID);
-        }
+        eventProcessor.process(userEvent);
+        eventHandlerRule.expectConversion(EVENT_NAME, USER_ID);
 
-        if (!countDownLatch.await(MAX_DURATION_MS * 3, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)) {
+        eventProcessor.close();
+
+        if (!countDownLatch.await( TIMEOUT_MS * 3, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)) {
             fail("Exceeded timeout waiting for events to flush.");
         }