diff --git a/src/couchdb/couch_changes.erl b/src/couchdb/couch_changes.erl
index 6edde32dba..2cb63a5510 100644
--- a/src/couchdb/couch_changes.erl
+++ b/src/couchdb/couch_changes.erl
@@ -238,29 +238,43 @@ builtin_results(Style, [#rev_info{rev=Rev}|_]=Revs) ->
 get_changes_timeout(Args, Callback) ->
     #changes_args{
         heartbeat = Heartbeat,
-        timeout = Timeout,
+        timeout = UserTimeout,
         feed = ResponseType
     } = Args,
     DefaultTimeout = list_to_integer(
         couch_config:get("httpd", "changes_timeout", "60000")
     ),
-    case Heartbeat of
-    undefined ->
-        case Timeout of
+    Timeout = case UserTimeout of
+        undefined -> DefaultTimeout;
+        infiity -> infinity;
+        _ -> lists:min([DefaultTimeout, UserTimeout])
+    end,
+    HeartbeatInterval = case Heartbeat of
+        undefined -> undefined;
+        true -> DefaultTimeout;
+        _ -> lists:min([DefaultTimeout, Heartbeat])
+    end,
+    case HeartbeatInterval of
         undefined ->
-            {DefaultTimeout, fun(UserAcc) -> {stop, UserAcc} end};
-        infinity ->
-            {infinity, fun(UserAcc) -> {stop, UserAcc} end};
+            {Timeout, HeartbeatInterval,
+             fun(UserAcc) -> {stop, UserAcc} end};
         _ ->
-            {lists:min([DefaultTimeout, Timeout]),
-                fun(UserAcc) -> {stop, UserAcc} end}
-        end;
-    true ->
-        {DefaultTimeout,
-            fun(UserAcc) -> {ok, Callback(timeout, ResponseType, UserAcc)} end};
-    _ ->
-        {lists:min([DefaultTimeout, Heartbeat]),
-            fun(UserAcc) -> {ok, Callback(timeout, ResponseType, UserAcc)} end}
+            {Timeout, HeartbeatInterval,
+             fun(UserAcc) ->
+                Before = get(last_changes_heartbeat),
+                case Before of
+                    undefined ->
+                        {ok, UserAcc};
+                    _ ->
+                        Now = now(),
+                        case timer:now_diff(Now, Before) div 1000 >= Timeout of
+                            true ->
+                                {stop, UserAcc};
+                            false ->
+                                {ok, Callback(timeout, ResponseType, UserAcc)}
+                        end
+                end
+             end}
     end.
 
 start_sending_changes(_Callback, UserAcc, ResponseType)
@@ -446,7 +460,7 @@ changes_enumerator(DocInfo, #changes_acc{resp_type = ResponseType} = Acc)
     #changes_acc{
         filter = FilterFun, callback = Callback,
         user_acc = UserAcc, limit = Limit, db = Db,
-        timeout = Timeout, timeout_fun = TimeoutFun
+        timeout_fun = TimeoutFun
     } = Acc,
     #doc_info{high_seq = Seq} = DocInfo,
     Results0 = FilterFun(Db, DocInfo),
@@ -455,7 +469,7 @@ changes_enumerator(DocInfo, #changes_acc{resp_type = ResponseType} = Acc)
     Go = if Limit =< 1 -> stop; true -> ok end,
     case Results of
     [] ->
-        {Done, UserAcc2} = maybe_heartbeat(Timeout, TimeoutFun, UserAcc),
+        {Done, UserAcc2} = TimeoutFun(UserAcc),
         case Done of
         stop ->
             {stop, Acc#changes_acc{seq = Seq, user_acc = UserAcc2}};
@@ -472,7 +486,7 @@ changes_enumerator(DocInfo, Acc) ->
     #changes_acc{
         filter = FilterFun, callback = Callback, prepend = Prepend,
         user_acc = UserAcc, limit = Limit, resp_type = ResponseType, db = Db,
-        timeout = Timeout, timeout_fun = TimeoutFun
+        timeout_fun = TimeoutFun
     } = Acc,
     #doc_info{high_seq = Seq} = DocInfo,
     Results0 = FilterFun(Db, DocInfo),
@@ -480,7 +494,7 @@ changes_enumerator(DocInfo, Acc) ->
     Go = if (Limit =< 1) andalso Results =/= [] -> stop; true -> ok end,
     case Results of
     [] ->
-        {Done, UserAcc2} = maybe_heartbeat(Timeout, TimeoutFun, UserAcc),
+        {Done, UserAcc2} = TimeoutFun(UserAcc),
         case Done of
         stop ->
             {stop, Acc#changes_acc{seq = Seq, user_acc = UserAcc2}};
@@ -558,20 +572,3 @@ reset_heartbeat() ->
     _ ->
         put(last_changes_heartbeat, now())
     end.
-
-maybe_heartbeat(Timeout, TimeoutFun, Acc) ->
-    Before = get(last_changes_heartbeat),
-    case Before of
-    undefined ->
-        {ok, Acc};
-    _ ->
-        Now = now(),
-        case timer:now_diff(Now, Before) div 1000 >= Timeout of
-        true ->
-            Acc2 = TimeoutFun(Acc),
-            put(last_changes_heartbeat, Now),
-            Acc2;
-        false ->
-            {ok, Acc}
-        end
-    end.
diff --git a/test/couchdb/couch_changes_tests.erl b/test/couchdb/couch_changes_tests.erl
index a129ba2fda..98cd202823 100644
--- a/test/couchdb/couch_changes_tests.erl
+++ b/test/couchdb/couch_changes_tests.erl
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ spawn_consumer(DbName, ChangesArgs0, Req) ->
         ChangesArgs = case (ChangesArgs0#changes_args.timeout =:= undefined)
             andalso (ChangesArgs0#changes_args.heartbeat =:= undefined) of
             true ->
-                ChangesArgs0#changes_args{timeout = 10, heartbeat = 10};
+                ChangesArgs0#changes_args{heartbeat = 10};
             false ->
                 ChangesArgs0
         end,