diff --git a/README.txt b/README.txt
index 3ef6005..88a7290 100644
--- a/README.txt
+++ b/README.txt
@@ -68,8 +68,15 @@ action if/when the application dies.
 
 With no configuration from you, NSSM will try to restart itself if it notices
 that the application died but you didn't send it a stop signal.  NSSM will
-keep trying, pausing 30 seconds between each attempt, until the service is
-successfully started or you send it a stop signal.
+keep trying, pausing between each attempt, until the service is successfully
+started or you send it a stop signal.
+
+NSSM will pause an increasingly longer time between subsequent restart attempts
+if the service fails to start in a timely manner, up to a maximum of 60 seconds.
+This is so it does not consume an excessive amount of CPU time trying to start
+a failed application over and over again.  If you identify the cause of the
+failure and don't want to wait you can use the Windows service console to
+send a continue signal to NSSM and it will retry within a few seconds.
 
 NSSM will look in the registry under
 HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\<service>\Parameters\AppExit for
@@ -161,6 +168,7 @@ Thanks to Joel Reingold for spotting a command line truncation bug.
 Thanks to Arve Knudsen for spotting that child processes of the monitored
 application could be left running on service shutdown, and that a missing
 registry value for AppDirectory confused NSSM.
+Thanks to Peter Wagemans and Laszlo Kereszt for suggesting throttling restarts.
 
 Licence
 -------
diff --git a/messages.mc b/messages.mc
index c92daa3..413eab3 100644
--- a/messages.mc
+++ b/messages.mc
@@ -259,3 +259,18 @@ Failed to enumerate running threads when terminating service %1:
 %2
 .
 
+MessageId = +1
+SymbolicName = NSSM_EVENT_THROTTLED
+Severity = Warning
+Language = English
+Service %1 ran for less than %2 milliseconds.
+Restart will be delayed by %3 milliseconds.
+.
+
+MessageId = +1
+SymbolicName = NSSM_EVENT_RESET_THROTTLE
+Severity = Informational
+Language = English
+Request to resume service %1.  Throttling of restart attempts will be reset.
+.
+
diff --git a/nssm.h b/nssm.h
index c29ec81..af8380e 100644
--- a/nssm.h
+++ b/nssm.h
@@ -32,6 +32,12 @@ int str_equiv(const char *, const char *);
 #define VALUE_LENGTH 16383
 #define SERVICE_NAME_LENGTH KEY_LENGTH - 55
 
+/*
+  Throttle the restart of the service if it stops before this many
+  milliseconds have elapsed since startup.
+*/
+#define NSSM_RESET_THROTTLE_RESTART 1500
+
 /*
   How many milliseconds to wait for the application to die after posting to
   its windows' message queues.
@@ -43,4 +49,7 @@ int str_equiv(const char *, const char *);
 */
 #define NSSM_KILL_THREADS_GRACE_PERIOD 1500
 
+/* Margin of error for service status wait hints in milliseconds. */
+#define NSSM_WAITHINT_MARGIN 2000
+
 #endif
diff --git a/service.cpp b/service.cpp
index 8e56cf7..1010666 100644
--- a/service.cpp
+++ b/service.cpp
@@ -10,10 +10,20 @@ char exe[EXE_LENGTH];
 char flags[CMD_LENGTH];
 char dir[MAX_PATH];
 bool stopping;
+CRITICAL_SECTION throttle_section;
+CONDITION_VARIABLE throttle_condition;
 
 static enum { NSSM_EXIT_RESTART, NSSM_EXIT_IGNORE, NSSM_EXIT_REALLY, NSSM_EXIT_UNCLEAN } exit_actions;
 static const char *exit_action_strings[] = { "Restart", "Ignore", "Exit", "Suicide", 0 };
 
+static unsigned long throttle;
+
+static inline int throttle_milliseconds() {
+  /* pow() operates on doubles. */
+  int ret = 1; for (unsigned long i = 1; i < throttle; i++) ret *= 2;
+  return ret * 1000;
+}
+
 /* Connect to the service manager */
 SC_HANDLE open_service_manager() {
   SC_HANDLE ret = OpenSCManager(0, SERVICES_ACTIVE_DATABASE, SC_MANAGER_ALL_ACCESS);
@@ -148,11 +158,11 @@ void WINAPI service_main(unsigned long argc, char **argv) {
   /* Initialise status */
   ZeroMemory(&service_status, sizeof(service_status));
   service_status.dwServiceType = SERVICE_WIN32_OWN_PROCESS | SERVICE_INTERACTIVE_PROCESS;
-  service_status.dwControlsAccepted = SERVICE_ACCEPT_SHUTDOWN | SERVICE_ACCEPT_STOP;
+  service_status.dwControlsAccepted = SERVICE_ACCEPT_SHUTDOWN | SERVICE_ACCEPT_STOP | SERVICE_ACCEPT_PAUSE_CONTINUE;
   service_status.dwWin32ExitCode = NO_ERROR;
   service_status.dwServiceSpecificExitCode = 0;
   service_status.dwCheckPoint = 0;
-  service_status.dwWaitHint = 1000;
+  service_status.dwWaitHint = NSSM_WAITHINT_MARGIN;
 
   /* Signal we AREN'T running the server */
   process_handle = 0;
@@ -177,6 +187,7 @@ void WINAPI service_main(unsigned long argc, char **argv) {
   }
 
   service_status.dwCurrentState = SERVICE_START_PENDING;
+  service_status.dwWaitHint = NSSM_RESET_THROTTLE_RESTART + NSSM_WAITHINT_MARGIN;
   SetServiceStatus(service_handle, &service_status);
 
   /* Try to create the exit action parameters; we don't care if it fails */
@@ -184,6 +195,9 @@ void WINAPI service_main(unsigned long argc, char **argv) {
 
   set_service_recovery(service_name);
 
+  /* Used for signalling a resume if the service pauses when throttled. */
+  InitializeCriticalSection(&throttle_section);
+
   monitor_service();
 }
 
@@ -230,6 +244,22 @@ unsigned long WINAPI service_control_handler(unsigned long control, unsigned lon
     case SERVICE_CONTROL_STOP:
       stop_service(0, true, true);
       return NO_ERROR;
+
+    case SERVICE_CONTROL_CONTINUE:
+      throttle = 0;
+      WakeConditionVariable(&throttle_condition);
+      service_status.dwCurrentState = SERVICE_CONTINUE_PENDING;
+      service_status.dwWaitHint = throttle_milliseconds() + NSSM_WAITHINT_MARGIN;
+      log_event(EVENTLOG_INFORMATION_TYPE, NSSM_EVENT_RESET_THROTTLE, service_name, 0);
+      SetServiceStatus(service_handle, &service_status);
+      return NO_ERROR;
+
+    case SERVICE_CONTROL_PAUSE:
+      /*
+        We don't accept pause messages but it isn't possible to register
+        only for continue messages so we have to handle this case.
+      */
+      return ERROR_CALL_NOT_IMPLEMENTED;
   }
 
   /* Unknown control */
@@ -257,6 +287,9 @@ int start_service() {
     log_event(EVENTLOG_ERROR_TYPE, NSSM_EVENT_OUT_OF_MEMORY, "command line", "start_service", 0);
     return stop_service(2, true, true);
   }
+
+  throttle_restart();
+
   if (! CreateProcess(0, cmd, 0, 0, false, 0, 0, dir, &si, &pi)) {
     log_event(EVENTLOG_ERROR_TYPE, NSSM_EVENT_CREATEPROCESS_FAILED, service_name, exe, GetLastError(), 0);
     return stop_service(3, true, true);
@@ -268,6 +301,9 @@ int start_service() {
   service_status.dwCurrentState = SERVICE_RUNNING;
   SetServiceStatus(service_handle, &service_status);
 
+  /* Wait for a clean startup. */
+  if (WaitForSingleObject(process_handle, NSSM_RESET_THROTTLE_RESTART) == WAIT_TIMEOUT) throttle = 0;
+
   return 0;
 }
 
@@ -281,6 +317,7 @@ int stop_service(unsigned long exitcode, bool graceful, bool default_action) {
   /* Signal we are stopping */
   if (graceful) {
     service_status.dwCurrentState = SERVICE_STOP_PENDING;
+    service_status.dwWaitHint = NSSM_KILL_WINDOW_GRACE_PERIOD + NSSM_KILL_THREADS_GRACE_PERIOD + NSSM_WAITHINT_MARGIN;
     SetServiceStatus(service_handle, &service_status);
   }
 
@@ -383,3 +420,26 @@ void CALLBACK end_service(void *arg, unsigned char why) {
     break;
   }
 }
+
+void throttle_restart() {
+  /* This can't be a restart if the service is already running. */
+  if (! throttle++) return;
+
+  int ms = throttle_milliseconds();
+
+  if (throttle > 7) throttle = 8;
+
+  char threshold[8], milliseconds[8];
+  _snprintf(threshold, sizeof(threshold), "%d", NSSM_RESET_THROTTLE_RESTART);
+  _snprintf(milliseconds, sizeof(milliseconds), "%d", ms);
+  log_event(EVENTLOG_WARNING_TYPE, NSSM_EVENT_THROTTLED, service_name, threshold, milliseconds, 0);
+
+  EnterCriticalSection(&throttle_section);
+
+  service_status.dwCurrentState = SERVICE_PAUSED;
+  SetServiceStatus(service_handle, &service_status);
+
+  SleepConditionVariableCS(&throttle_condition, &throttle_section, ms);
+
+  LeaveCriticalSection(&throttle_section);
+}
diff --git a/service.h b/service.h
index fb52c16..6914661 100644
--- a/service.h
+++ b/service.h
@@ -16,5 +16,6 @@ int monitor_service();
 int start_service();
 int stop_service(unsigned long, bool, bool);
 void CALLBACK end_service(void *, unsigned char);
+void throttle_restart();
 
 #endif