diff --git a/src/pkg/time/sleep.go b/src/pkg/time/sleep.go
index 3538775adf..833552d684 100644
--- a/src/pkg/time/sleep.go
+++ b/src/pkg/time/sleep.go
@@ -11,20 +11,40 @@ import (
 	"container/heap"
 )
 
-// The event type represents a single After or AfterFunc event.
-type event struct {
-	t        int64       // The absolute time that the event should fire.
-	f        func(int64) // The function to call when the event fires.
-	sleeping bool        // A sleeper is sleeping for this event.
+// The Timer type represents a single event.
+// When the Timer expires, the current time will be sent on C
+// unless the Timer represents an AfterFunc event.
+type Timer struct {
+	C <-chan int64
+	t int64       // The absolute time that the event should fire.
+	f func(int64) // The function to call when the event fires.
+	i int         // The event's index inside eventHeap.
 }
 
-type eventHeap []*event
+type timerHeap []*Timer
 
-var events eventHeap
-var eventMutex sync.Mutex
+// forever is the absolute time (in ns) of an event that is forever away.
+const forever = 1 << 62
+
+// maxSleepTime is the maximum length of time that a sleeper
+// sleeps for before checking if it is defunct.
+const maxSleepTime = 1e9
+
+var (
+	// timerMutex guards the variables inside this var group.
+	timerMutex sync.Mutex
+
+	// timers holds a binary heap of pending events, terminated with a sentinel.
+	timers timerHeap
+
+	// currentSleeper is an ever-incrementing counter which represents
+	// the current sleeper. It allows older sleepers to detect that they are
+	// defunct and exit.
+	currentSleeper int64
+)
 
 func init() {
-	events.Push(&event{1 << 62, nil, true}) // sentinel
+	timers.Push(&Timer{t: forever}) // sentinel
 }
 
 // Sleep pauses the current goroutine for at least ns nanoseconds.
@@ -51,101 +71,133 @@ func sleep(t, ns int64) (int64, os.Error) {
 	return t, nil
 }
 
+// NewTimer creates a new Timer that will send
+// the current time on its channel after at least ns nanoseconds.
+func NewTimer(ns int64) *Timer {
+	c := make(chan int64, 1)
+	e := after(ns, func(t int64) { c <- t })
+	e.C = c
+	return e
+}
+
 // After waits at least ns nanoseconds before sending the current time
 // on the returned channel.
+// It is equivalent to NewTimer(ns).C.
 func After(ns int64) <-chan int64 {
-	c := make(chan int64, 1)
-	after(ns, func(t int64) { c <- t })
-	return c
+	return NewTimer(ns).C
 }
 
 // AfterFunc waits at least ns nanoseconds before calling f
-// in its own goroutine.
-func AfterFunc(ns int64, f func()) {
-	after(ns, func(_ int64) {
+// in its own goroutine. It returns a Timer that can
+// be used to cancel the call using its Stop method.
+func AfterFunc(ns int64, f func()) *Timer {
+	return after(ns, func(_ int64) {
 		go f()
 	})
 }
 
+// Stop prevents the Timer from firing.
+// It returns true if the call stops the timer, false if the timer has already
+// expired or stopped.
+func (e *Timer) Stop() (ok bool) {
+	timerMutex.Lock()
+	// Avoid removing the first event in the queue so that
+	// we don't start a new sleeper unnecessarily.
+	if e.i > 0 {
+		heap.Remove(timers, e.i)
+	}
+	ok = e.f != nil
+	e.f = nil
+	timerMutex.Unlock()
+	return
+}
+
 // after is the implementation of After and AfterFunc.
 // When the current time is after ns, it calls f with the current time.
 // It assumes that f will not block.
-func after(ns int64, f func(int64)) {
+func after(ns int64, f func(int64)) (e *Timer) {
+	now := Nanoseconds()
 	t := Nanoseconds() + ns
-	eventMutex.Lock()
-	t0 := events[0].t
-	heap.Push(events, &event{t, f, false})
-	if t < t0 {
-		go sleeper()
+	if ns > 0 && t < now {
+		panic("time: time overflow")
 	}
-	eventMutex.Unlock()
+	timerMutex.Lock()
+	t0 := timers[0].t
+	e = &Timer{nil, t, f, -1}
+	heap.Push(timers, e)
+	// Start a new sleeper if the new event is before
+	// the first event in the queue. If the length of time
+	// until the new event is at least maxSleepTime,
+	// then we're guaranteed that the sleeper will wake up
+	// in time to service it, so no new sleeper is needed.
+	if t0 > t && (t0 == forever || ns < maxSleepTime) {
+		currentSleeper++
+		go sleeper(currentSleeper)
+	}
+	timerMutex.Unlock()
+	return
 }
 
-// sleeper continually looks at the earliest event in the queue, marks it
-// as sleeping, waits until it happens, then removes any events
-// in the queue that are due. It stops when it finds an event that is
-// already marked as sleeping. When an event is inserted before the first item,
-// a new sleeper is started.
-//
-// Scheduling vagaries mean that sleepers may not wake up in
-// exactly the order of the events that they are waiting for,
-// but this does not matter as long as there are at least as
-// many sleepers as events marked sleeping (invariant). This ensures that
-// there is always a sleeper to service the remaining events.
-//
-// A sleeper will remove at least the event it has been waiting for
-// unless the event has already been removed by another sleeper.  Both
-// cases preserve the invariant described above.
-func sleeper() {
-	eventMutex.Lock()
-	e := events[0]
-	for !e.sleeping {
-		t := Nanoseconds()
+// sleeper continually looks at the earliest event in the queue, waits until it happens,
+// then removes any events in the queue that are due. It stops when the queue
+// is empty or when another sleeper has been started.
+func sleeper(sleeperId int64) {
+	timerMutex.Lock()
+	e := timers[0]
+	t := Nanoseconds()
+	for e.t != forever {
 		if dt := e.t - t; dt > 0 {
-			e.sleeping = true
-			eventMutex.Unlock()
-			if nt, err := sleep(t, dt); err != nil {
-				// If sleep has encountered an error,
-				// there's not much we can do. We pretend
-				// that time really has advanced by the required
-				// amount and lie to the rest of the system.
-				t = e.t
-			} else {
-				t = nt
+			if dt > maxSleepTime {
+				dt = maxSleepTime
+			}
+			timerMutex.Unlock()
+			syscall.Sleep(dt)
+			timerMutex.Lock()
+			if currentSleeper != sleeperId {
+				// Another sleeper has been started, making this one redundant.
+				break
 			}
-			eventMutex.Lock()
-			e = events[0]
 		}
+		e = timers[0]
+		t = Nanoseconds()
 		for t >= e.t {
-			e.f(t)
-			heap.Pop(events)
-			e = events[0]
+			if e.f != nil {
+				e.f(t)
+				e.f = nil
+			}
+			heap.Pop(timers)
+			e = timers[0]
 		}
 	}
-	eventMutex.Unlock()
+	timerMutex.Unlock()
 }
 
-func (eventHeap) Len() int {
-	return len(events)
+func (timerHeap) Len() int {
+	return len(timers)
 }
 
-func (eventHeap) Less(i, j int) bool {
-	return events[i].t < events[j].t
+func (timerHeap) Less(i, j int) bool {
+	return timers[i].t < timers[j].t
 }
 
-func (eventHeap) Swap(i, j int) {
-	events[i], events[j] = events[j], events[i]
+func (timerHeap) Swap(i, j int) {
+	timers[i], timers[j] = timers[j], timers[i]
+	timers[i].i = i
+	timers[j].i = j
 }
 
-func (eventHeap) Push(x interface{}) {
-	events = append(events, x.(*event))
+func (timerHeap) Push(x interface{}) {
+	e := x.(*Timer)
+	e.i = len(timers)
+	timers = append(timers, e)
 }
 
-func (eventHeap) Pop() interface{} {
+func (timerHeap) Pop() interface{} {
 	// TODO: possibly shrink array.
-	n := len(events) - 1
-	e := events[n]
-	events[n] = nil
-	events = events[0:n]
+	n := len(timers) - 1
+	e := timers[n]
+	timers[n] = nil
+	timers = timers[0:n]
+	e.i = -1
 	return e
 }
diff --git a/src/pkg/time/sleep_test.go b/src/pkg/time/sleep_test.go
index 9e36288f88..4007db561a 100644
--- a/src/pkg/time/sleep_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/time/sleep_test.go
@@ -64,6 +64,18 @@ func BenchmarkAfterFunc(b *testing.B) {
 	<-c
 }
 
+func BenchmarkAfter(b *testing.B) {
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		<-After(1)
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkStop(b *testing.B) {
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		NewTimer(1e9).Stop()
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAfter(t *testing.T) {
 	const delay = int64(100e6)
 	start := Nanoseconds()
@@ -94,6 +106,30 @@ func TestAfterTick(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAfterStop(t *testing.T) {
+	const msec = 1e6
+	AfterFunc(100*msec, func() {})
+	t0 := NewTimer(50 * msec)
+	c1 := make(chan bool, 1)
+	t1 := AfterFunc(150*msec, func() { c1 <- true })
+	c2 := After(200 * msec)
+	if !t0.Stop() {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to stop event 0")
+	}
+	if !t1.Stop() {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to stop event 1")
+	}
+	<-c2
+	_, ok0 := <-t0.C
+	_, ok1 := <-c1
+	if ok0 || ok1 {
+		t.Fatalf("events were not stopped")
+	}
+	if t1.Stop() {
+		t.Fatalf("Stop returned true twice")
+	}
+}
+
 var slots = []int{5, 3, 6, 6, 6, 1, 1, 2, 7, 9, 4, 8, 0}
 
 type afterResult struct {
diff --git a/src/pkg/time/tick_test.go b/src/pkg/time/tick_test.go
index 2a63a0f2b3..f2304a14e3 100644
--- a/src/pkg/time/tick_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/time/tick_test.go
@@ -43,3 +43,14 @@ func TestTeardown(t *testing.T) {
 		ticker.Stop()
 	}
 }
+
+func BenchmarkTicker(b *testing.B) {
+	ticker := NewTicker(1)
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	b.StartTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		<-ticker.C
+	}
+	b.StopTimer()
+	ticker.Stop()
+}