diff --git a/framework/aster-frame/src/sync/wait.rs b/framework/aster-frame/src/sync/wait.rs
index 74e924a2a..1eacc07b3 100644
--- a/framework/aster-frame/src/sync/wait.rs
+++ b/framework/aster-frame/src/sync/wait.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
 
 use alloc::{collections::VecDeque, sync::Arc};
-use core::time::Duration;
+use core::{
+    sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering},
+    time::Duration,
+};
 
 use super::SpinLock;
 use crate::{
@@ -16,13 +19,13 @@ use crate::{
 /// Other threads may invoke the `wake`-family methods of a wait queue to
 /// wake up one or many waiter threads.
 pub struct WaitQueue {
-    waiters: SpinLock<VecDeque<Arc<Waiter>>>,
+    wakers: SpinLock<VecDeque<Arc<Waker>>>,
 }
 
 impl WaitQueue {
     pub const fn new() -> Self {
         WaitQueue {
-            waiters: SpinLock::new(VecDeque::new()),
+            wakers: SpinLock::new(VecDeque::new()),
         }
     }
 
@@ -61,7 +64,7 @@ impl WaitQueue {
             return Some(res);
         }
 
-        let waiter = Arc::new(Waiter::new());
+        let (waiter, waker) = Waiter::new_pair();
 
         let timer_callback = timeout.map(|timeout| {
             let remaining_ticks = {
@@ -76,16 +79,16 @@ impl WaitQueue {
                 (timeout.as_millis() as u64 + ms_per_tick - 1) / ms_per_tick
             };
 
-            add_timeout_list(remaining_ticks, waiter.clone(), |timer_call_back| {
-                let waiter = timer_call_back
-                    .data()
-                    .downcast_ref::<Arc<Waiter>>()
-                    .unwrap();
-                waiter.wake_up();
+            add_timeout_list(remaining_ticks, waker.clone(), |timer_call_back| {
+                let waker = timer_call_back.data().downcast_ref::<Arc<Waker>>().unwrap();
+                waker.wake_up();
             })
         });
 
         loop {
+            // Enqueue the waker before checking `cond()` to avoid races
+            self.enqueue(waker.clone());
+
             if let Some(res) = cond() {
                 if let Some(timer_callback) = timer_callback {
                     timer_callback.cancel();
@@ -97,19 +100,20 @@ impl WaitQueue {
             if let Some(ref timer_callback) = timer_callback
                 && timer_callback.is_expired()
             {
+                // Drop the waiter and check again to avoid missing a wake event
+                drop(waiter);
                 return cond();
             }
 
-            self.enqueue(&waiter);
             waiter.wait();
         }
     }
 
     /// Wake up one waiting thread.
     pub fn wake_one(&self) {
-        while let Some(waiter) = self.waiters.lock_irq_disabled().pop_front() {
+        while let Some(waker) = self.wakers.lock_irq_disabled().pop_front() {
             // Avoid holding lock when calling `wake_up`
-            if waiter.wake_up() {
+            if waker.wake_up() {
                 return;
             }
         }
@@ -117,63 +121,124 @@ impl WaitQueue {
 
     /// Wake up all waiting threads.
     pub fn wake_all(&self) {
-        while let Some(waiter) = self.waiters.lock_irq_disabled().pop_front() {
+        while let Some(waker) = self.wakers.lock_irq_disabled().pop_front() {
             // Avoid holding lock when calling `wake_up`
-            waiter.wake_up();
+            waker.wake_up();
         }
     }
 
     pub fn is_empty(&self) -> bool {
-        self.waiters.lock_irq_disabled().is_empty()
+        self.wakers.lock_irq_disabled().is_empty()
     }
 
-    // Enqueue a waiter into current waitqueue. If waiter is exclusive, add to the back of waitqueue.
-    // Otherwise, add to the front of waitqueue
-    fn enqueue(&self, waiter: &Arc<Waiter>) {
-        self.waiters.lock_irq_disabled().push_back(waiter.clone());
+    fn enqueue(&self, waker: Arc<Waker>) {
+        self.wakers.lock_irq_disabled().push_back(waker);
     }
 }
 
+/// A waiter that can put the current thread to sleep until it is woken up by the associated
+/// [`Waker`].
+///
+/// By definition, a waiter belongs to the current thread, so it cannot be sent to another thread
+/// and its reference cannot be shared between threads.
 struct Waiter {
-    /// The `Task` held by the waiter.
+    waker: Arc<Waker>,
+}
+
+impl !Send for Waiter {}
+impl !Sync for Waiter {}
+
+/// A waker that can wake up the associated [`Waiter`].
+///
+/// A waker can be created by calling [`Waiter::new`]. This method creates an `Arc<Waker>` that can
+/// be used across different threads.
+struct Waker {
+    has_woken: AtomicBool,
     task: Arc<Task>,
 }
 
 impl Waiter {
-    pub fn new() -> Self {
-        Waiter {
+    /// Creates a waiter and its associated [`Waker`].
+    pub fn new_pair() -> (Self, Arc<Waker>) {
+        let waker = Arc::new(Waker {
+            has_woken: AtomicBool::new(false),
             task: current_task().unwrap(),
-        }
+        });
+        let waiter = Self {
+            waker: waker.clone(),
+        };
+        (waiter, waker)
     }
 
-    /// Wait until being woken up
+    /// Waits until the waiter is woken up by calling [`Waker::wake_up`] on the associated
+    /// [`Waker`].
+    ///
+    /// This method returns immediately if the waiter has been woken since the end of the last call
+    /// to this method (or since the waiter was created, if this method has not been called
+    /// before). Otherwise, it puts the current thread to sleep until the waiter is woken up.
     pub fn wait(&self) {
-        debug_assert_eq!(
-            self.task.inner_exclusive_access().task_status,
-            TaskStatus::Runnable
-        );
-        self.task.inner_exclusive_access().task_status = TaskStatus::Sleeping;
-        while self.task.inner_exclusive_access().task_status == TaskStatus::Sleeping {
-            schedule();
-        }
-    }
-
-    /// Wake up a waiting task.
-    /// If the task is waiting before being woken, return true;
-    /// Otherwise return false.
-    pub fn wake_up(&self) -> bool {
-        let mut task = self.task.inner_exclusive_access();
-        if task.task_status == TaskStatus::Sleeping {
-            task.task_status = TaskStatus::Runnable;
-
-            // Avoid holding lock when doing `add_task`
-            drop(task);
-
-            add_task(self.task.clone());
-
-            true
-        } else {
-            false
-        }
+        self.waker.do_wait();
+    }
+}
+
+impl Drop for Waiter {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        // When dropping the waiter, we need to close the waker to ensure that if someone wants to
+        // wake up the waiter afterwards, they will perform a no-op.
+        self.waker.close();
+    }
+}
+
+impl Waker {
+    /// Wakes up the associated [`Waiter`].
+    ///
+    /// This method returns `true` if the waiter is woken by this call. It returns `false` if the
+    /// waiter has already been woken by a previous call to the method, or if the waiter has been
+    /// dropped.
+    ///
+    /// Note that if this method returns `true`, it implies that the wake event will be properly
+    /// delivered, _or_ that the waiter will be dropped after being woken. It's up to the caller to
+    /// handle the latter case properly to avoid missing the wake event.
+    pub fn wake_up(&self) -> bool {
+        if self.has_woken.swap(true, Ordering::AcqRel) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        let mut task = self.task.inner_exclusive_access();
+        match task.task_status {
+            TaskStatus::Sleepy => {
+                task.task_status = TaskStatus::Runnable;
+            }
+            TaskStatus::Sleeping => {
+                task.task_status = TaskStatus::Runnable;
+
+                // Avoid holding the lock when doing `add_task`
+                drop(task);
+                add_task(self.task.clone());
+            }
+            _ => (),
+        }
+
+        true
+    }
+
+    fn do_wait(&self) {
+        while !self.has_woken.load(Ordering::Acquire) {
+            let mut task = self.task.inner_exclusive_access();
+            // After holding the lock, check again to avoid races
+            if self.has_woken.load(Ordering::Acquire) {
+                break;
+            }
+            task.task_status = TaskStatus::Sleepy;
+            drop(task);
+
+            schedule();
+        }
+
+        self.has_woken.store(false, Ordering::Release);
+    }
+
+    fn close(&self) {
+        self.has_woken.store(true, Ordering::Release);
     }
 }
diff --git a/framework/aster-frame/src/task/processor.rs b/framework/aster-frame/src/task/processor.rs
index db972c1c1..adc6b1ed8 100644
--- a/framework/aster-frame/src/task/processor.rs
+++ b/framework/aster-frame/src/task/processor.rs
@@ -91,26 +91,33 @@ fn switch_to_task(next_task: Arc<Task>) {
             "Calling schedule() while holding {} locks",
             PREEMPT_COUNT.num_locks()
         );
-        //GLOBAL_SCHEDULER.lock_irq_disabled().enqueue(next_task);
-        //return;
     }
-    let current_task_option = current_task();
-    let next_task_cx_ptr = &next_task.inner_ctx() as *const TaskContext;
-    let current_task: Arc<Task>;
-    let current_task_cx_ptr = match current_task_option {
+
+    let current_task_cx_ptr = match current_task() {
         None => PROCESSOR.lock().get_idle_task_cx_ptr(),
         Some(current_task) => {
-            if current_task.status() == TaskStatus::Runnable {
-                GLOBAL_SCHEDULER
-                    .lock_irq_disabled()
-                    .enqueue(current_task.clone());
+            let mut task = current_task.inner_exclusive_access();
+
+            // FIXME: `task.ctx` should be put in a separate `UnsafeCell`, not as a part of
+            // `TaskInner`. Otherwise, it violates the sematics of `SpinLock` and Rust's memory
+            // model which requires that mutable references must be exclusive.
+            let cx_ptr = &mut task.ctx as *mut TaskContext;
+
+            debug_assert_ne!(task.task_status, TaskStatus::Sleeping);
+            if task.task_status == TaskStatus::Runnable {
+                drop(task);
+                GLOBAL_SCHEDULER.lock_irq_disabled().enqueue(current_task);
+            } else if task.task_status == TaskStatus::Sleepy {
+                task.task_status = TaskStatus::Sleeping;
             }
-            &mut current_task.inner_exclusive_access().ctx as *mut TaskContext
+
+            cx_ptr
         }
     };
 
-    // change the current task to the next task
+    let next_task_cx_ptr = &next_task.inner_ctx() as *const TaskContext;
 
+    // change the current task to the next task
     PROCESSOR.lock().current = Some(next_task.clone());
     unsafe {
         context_switch(current_task_cx_ptr, next_task_cx_ptr);
diff --git a/framework/aster-frame/src/task/task.rs b/framework/aster-frame/src/task/task.rs
index 660d2513d..1171858ce 100644
--- a/framework/aster-frame/src/task/task.rs
+++ b/framework/aster-frame/src/task/task.rs
@@ -190,7 +190,9 @@ impl Task {
 pub enum TaskStatus {
     /// The task is runnable.
     Runnable,
-    /// The task is sleeping.
+    /// The task is running in the foreground but will sleep when it goes to the background.
+    Sleepy,
+    /// The task is sleeping in the background.
     Sleeping,
     /// The task has exited.
     Exited,