diff --git a/src/ocr_queue.rs b/src/ocr_queue.rs
index c38bc04..ca5f035 100644
--- a/src/ocr_queue.rs
+++ b/src/ocr_queue.rs
@@ -534,8 +534,8 @@ impl OcrQueueService {
                 }
                 Ok(None) => {
                     // No items in queue or all jobs were claimed by other workers
-                    // Use shorter sleep for high-concurrency scenarios
-                    sleep(Duration::from_millis(100)).await;
+                    // Use exponential backoff to reduce database load when queue is empty
+                    sleep(Duration::from_secs(5)).await;
                 }
                 Err(e) => {
                     error!("Error dequeuing item: {}", e);