diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/IO.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/IO.scala
index 07d8d6a116..6cd8dcd6cd 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/IO.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/IO.scala
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import java.nio.channels.{
   CancelledKeyException
 }
 
+import scala.collection.mutable
 import scala.collection.immutable.Queue
 import scala.annotation.tailrec
 import scala.util.continuations._
@@ -84,38 +85,46 @@ trait IO {
 }
 
 object IOActor {
-  case class TokenState(messages: Queue[MessageInvocation], readBytes: Queue[ByteString], readBytesLength: Int)
-  val emptyTokenState = TokenState(Queue.empty, Queue.empty, 0)
+  class TokenState(val messages: mutable.Queue[MessageInvocation], val readBytes: mutable.Queue[ByteString], var readBytesLength: Int) {
+    def this() = this(mutable.Queue.empty, mutable.Queue.empty, 0)
+  }
 }
 
 trait IOActor extends Actor with IO {
   import IOActor._
 
-  var sequentialIO = true
+  protected var sequentialIO = true
 
-  private var _messages: Queue[MessageInvocation] = Queue.empty
+  private val _messages: mutable.Queue[MessageInvocation] = mutable.Queue.empty
 
-  private var _state: Map[IO.Token, TokenState] = Map.empty.withDefaultValue(emptyTokenState)
+  private var _state: Map[IO.Token, TokenState] = Map.empty
 
   private var _continuations: Map[MessageInvocation, (Int, ByteString ⇒ Unit)] = Map.empty
 
-  def read(token: IO.Token, len: Int): ByteString @suspendable = shift { cont: (ByteString ⇒ Unit) ⇒
-    val state = _state(token)
-    _state += (token -> state.copy(messages = state.messages :+ self.currentMessage))
+  private def state(token: IO.Token): TokenState = _state.get(token) match {
+    case Some(s) ⇒ s
+    case _ ⇒
+      val s = new TokenState()
+      _state += (token -> s)
+      s
+  }
+
+  protected def read(token: IO.Token, len: Int): ByteString @suspendable = shift { cont: (ByteString ⇒ Unit) ⇒
+    state(token).messages enqueue self.currentMessage
     _continuations += (self.currentMessage -> (len, cont))
     run(token)
   }
 
   final def receive = {
     case IO.Read(token, newBytes) ⇒
-      val state = _state(token)
-      _state += (token -> state.copy(readBytes = state.readBytes :+ newBytes,
-        readBytesLength = state.readBytesLength + newBytes.length))
+      val st = state(token)
+      st.readBytes enqueue newBytes
+      st.readBytesLength += newBytes.length
       run(token)
     case IO.Connected(token) ⇒ ()
     case IO.Closed(token)    ⇒ _state -= token // TODO: clean up better
     case msg if sequentialIO && _continuations.nonEmpty ⇒
-      _messages :+= self.currentMessage
+      _messages enqueue self.currentMessage
     case msg if _receiveIO.isDefinedAt(msg) ⇒
       reset { _receiveIO(msg) }
       ()
@@ -127,36 +136,35 @@ trait IOActor extends Actor with IO {
 
   @tailrec
   private def run(token: IO.Token): Unit = {
-    val TokenState(messages, readBytes, readBytesLength) = _state(token)
-    if (messages.nonEmpty) {
-      val msg = messages.head
+    val st = state(token)
+    if (st.messages.nonEmpty) {
+      val msg = st.messages.head
       self.currentMessage = msg
       val Some((waitingFor, continuation)) = _continuations.get(msg)
-      if (readBytesLength >= waitingFor) {
+      if (st.readBytesLength >= waitingFor) {
+        st.messages.dequeue
         var left = waitingFor
         var take: List[ByteString] = Nil
-        var rest = readBytes
-        while (left > 0 && left >= rest.head.length) {
-          left -= rest.head.length
-          take ::= rest.head
-          rest = rest.tail
+        while (left > 0 && left >= st.readBytes.head.length) {
+          val bytes = st.readBytes.dequeue
+          st.readBytesLength -= bytes.length
+          left -= bytes.length
+          take ::= bytes
         }
         if (left > 0) {
-          val last = rest.head
-          take ::= last.take(left)
-          rest = last.drop(left) +: rest.tail
+          val bytes = st.readBytes.dequeue
+          take ::= bytes take left
+          (bytes drop left) +=: st.readBytes
+          st.readBytesLength -= left
         }
         val bytes = ByteString.concat(take.reverse: _*)
-        _state += (token -> TokenState(messages.tail, rest, readBytesLength - waitingFor))
         _continuations -= msg
         continuation(bytes)
         run(token)
       }
     } else {
       while ((_continuations.isEmpty || !sequentialIO) && _messages.nonEmpty) {
-        val (msg, rest) = _messages.dequeue
-        _messages = rest
-        self invoke msg
+        self invoke _messages.dequeue
       }
     }
   }