diff --git a/src/engine/db/db-connection.vala b/src/engine/db/db-connection.vala
index b72521bc..831b6e83 100644
--- a/src/engine/db/db-connection.vala
+++ b/src/engine/db/db-connection.vala
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 public class Geary.Db.Connection : Geary.Db.Context {
     public const int DEFAULT_BUSY_TIMEOUT_MSEC = 0;
     
+    /**
+     * This value gives a generous amount of time for SQLite to finish a big write operation and
+     * relinquish the lock to other waiting transactions.
+     */
+    public const int RECOMMENDED_BUSY_TIMEOUT_MSEC = 30 * 1000;
+    
     private const string PRAGMA_FOREIGN_KEYS = "foreign_keys";
     private const string PRAGMA_RECURSIVE_TRIGGERS = "recursive_triggers";
     private const string PRAGMA_USER_VERSION = "user_version";
diff --git a/src/engine/imap-db/imap-db-database.vala b/src/engine/imap-db/imap-db-database.vala
index be080427..07f80753 100644
--- a/src/engine/imap-db/imap-db-database.vala
+++ b/src/engine/imap-db/imap-db-database.vala
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 private class Geary.ImapDB.Database : Geary.Db.VersionedDatabase {
     private const string DB_FILENAME = "geary.db";
-    private const int BUSY_TIMEOUT_MSEC = 1000;
+    private const int BUSY_TIMEOUT_MSEC = Db.Connection.RECOMMENDED_BUSY_TIMEOUT_MSEC;
     
     public Database(File db_dir, File schema_dir) {
         base (db_dir.get_child(DB_FILENAME), schema_dir);