diff --git a/src/julia_threads.h b/src/julia_threads.h
index 061eb9266e7a7..0805441a9586f 100644
--- a/src/julia_threads.h
+++ b/src/julia_threads.h
@@ -167,6 +167,9 @@ typedef struct _jl_tls_states_t {
     struct _jl_task_t *next_task;
     struct _jl_task_t *previous_task;
     struct _jl_task_t *root_task;
+    // The scheduler sets this to instruct the task switching code (jl_switch())
+    // to wait in the scheduler for another task.
+    int8_t wait_in_scheduler;
     struct _jl_timing_block_t *timing_stack;
     // This is the location of our copy_stack
     void *stackbase;
diff --git a/src/scheduler.c b/src/scheduler.c
index 731a0c5146605..d7c0804a64e1a 100644
--- a/src/scheduler.c
+++ b/src/scheduler.c
@@ -378,7 +378,18 @@ JL_DLLEXPORT jl_task_t *jl_task_get_next(jl_value_t *trypoptask, jl_value_t *q,
 
         jl_cpu_pause();
         jl_ptls_t ptls = ct->ptls;
-        if (sleep_check_after_threshold(&start_cycles) || (ptls->tid == jl_atomic_load_relaxed(&io_loop_tid) && (!jl_atomic_load_relaxed(&_threadedregion) || wait_empty))) {
+        if (sleep_check_after_threshold(&start_cycles) ||
+                (ptls->tid == jl_atomic_load_relaxed(&io_loop_tid) &&
+                    (!jl_atomic_load_relaxed(&_threadedregion) || wait_empty))) {
+            // The place seems empty and this thread is on its way to sleeping;
+            // switch to the root task to do that and instruct the task switching
+            // code to wait for another task.
+            if (ct != ptls->root_task) {
+                ptls->wait_in_scheduler = 1;
+                jl_switchto(&ptls->root_task);
+                return ct;
+            }
+
             // acquire sleep-check lock
             assert(jl_atomic_load_relaxed(&ptls->sleep_check_state) == not_sleeping);
             jl_atomic_store_relaxed(&ptls->sleep_check_state, sleeping);
diff --git a/src/task.c b/src/task.c
index 068689d534a03..992b3ac18614d 100644
--- a/src/task.c
+++ b/src/task.c
@@ -427,6 +427,12 @@ JL_DLLEXPORT jl_task_t *jl_get_next_task(void) JL_NOTSAFEPOINT
 const char tsan_state_corruption[] = "TSAN state corrupted. Exiting HARD!\n";
 #endif
 
+// is `t` the root task?
+static int is_root_task(jl_task_t *ct, jl_task_t *t)
+{
+    return ct->ptls->root_task == t;
+}
+
 JL_NO_ASAN static void ctx_switch(jl_task_t *lastt)
 {
     jl_ptls_t ptls = lastt->ptls;
@@ -446,7 +452,8 @@ JL_NO_ASAN static void ctx_switch(jl_task_t *lastt)
     }
 #endif
 
-    int killed = jl_atomic_load_relaxed(&lastt->_state) != JL_TASK_STATE_RUNNABLE;
+    int killed = (jl_atomic_load_relaxed(&lastt->_state) != JL_TASK_STATE_RUNNABLE) &&
+                    !is_root_task(t, lastt);
     if (!t->ctx.started && !t->ctx.copy_stack) {
         // may need to allocate the stack
         if (t->ctx.stkbuf == NULL) {
@@ -663,6 +670,7 @@ JL_DLLEXPORT void jl_switch(void) JL_NOTSAFEPOINT_LEAVE JL_NOTSAFEPOINT_ENTER
 {
     jl_task_t *ct = jl_current_task;
     jl_ptls_t ptls = ct->ptls;
+switch_restart:
     jl_task_t *t = ptls->next_task;
     if (t == ct) {
         return;
@@ -711,6 +719,12 @@ JL_DLLEXPORT void jl_switch(void) JL_NOTSAFEPOINT_LEAVE JL_NOTSAFEPOINT_ENTER
     if (other_defer_signal && !defer_signal)
         jl_sigint_safepoint(ptls);
 
+    if (ptls->wait_in_scheduler) {
+        ptls->wait_in_scheduler = 0;
+        jl_set_next_task(jl_task_get_next());
+        goto switch_restart;
+    }
+
     JL_PROBE_RT_RUN_TASK(ct);
     jl_gc_unsafe_leave(ptls, gc_state);
 }