diff --git a/hooks/use-email-state.ts b/hooks/use-email-state.ts
index 58d61c06..ec03e0c3 100644
--- a/hooks/use-email-state.ts
+++ b/hooks/use-email-state.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useReducer, useCallback, useEffect } from 'react';
+import { useReducer, useCallback, useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
 import { useSession } from 'next-auth/react';
 import { useToast } from './use-toast';
 import { 
@@ -681,8 +681,13 @@ export const useEmailState = () => {
       }
     });
     
-    // Log the unread counts for debugging
-    logEmailOp('UNREAD_COUNTS', 'Updated unread counts:', tempUnreadMap);
+    // Store the current update for comparison
+    if (!(window as any).__lastUnreadUpdate) {
+      (window as any).__lastUnreadUpdate = {
+        timestamp: 0,
+        map: {}
+      };
+    }
     
     // Check if the unread counts have actually changed before updating state
     let hasChanged = false;
@@ -696,128 +701,163 @@ export const useEmailState = () => {
       });
     });
     
-    // Only update if there are actual changes to avoid infinite updates
-    if (hasChanged) {
+    // Check if we've updated recently
+    const now = Date.now();
+    const lastUpdate = (window as any).__lastUnreadUpdate;
+    const timeSinceLastUpdate = now - lastUpdate.timestamp;
+    
+    // If changes found and not updated too recently, update state
+    if (hasChanged && timeSinceLastUpdate > 500) {
+      // Log only on actual change
+      logEmailOp('UNREAD_COUNTS', 'Updated unread counts:', tempUnreadMap);
+      
       // Create a single dispatch to update all counts at once
-      const updatedMap = { ...state.unreadCountMap };
-      
-      Object.entries(tempUnreadMap).forEach(([accountId, folderCounts]) => {
-        updatedMap[accountId] = { ...updatedMap[accountId] || {}, ...folderCounts };
-      });
-      
-      // Replace the entire unread count map with one action
       dispatch({ 
         type: 'SET_UNREAD_COUNTS', 
-        payload: updatedMap 
+        payload: tempUnreadMap 
       });
+      
+      // Update timestamp of last update
+      lastUpdate.timestamp = now;
+      lastUpdate.map = tempUnreadMap;
     }
   }, [state.emails, state.accounts, state.unreadCountMap, dispatch, logEmailOp]);
   
   // Call updateUnreadCounts when relevant state changes
   useEffect(() => {
-    // Only update unread counts when emails or flag status changes
-    // NOT when the unreadCountMap itself changes (that would cause infinite loop)
-    const updateCountsWithDebounce = setTimeout(() => {
-      updateUnreadCounts();
-    }, 300); // Debounce to handle multiple email updates
+    if (!state.emails || state.emails.length === 0) return;
     
-    return () => clearTimeout(updateCountsWithDebounce);
+    // Debounce unread count updates to prevent rapid multiple updates
+    let updateTimeoutId: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>;
+    
+    const debounceMs = 500; // 500ms debounce
+    
+    // Function to call after debounce period
+    const debouncedUpdate = () => {
+      updateTimeoutId = setTimeout(() => {
+        updateUnreadCounts();
+      }, debounceMs);
+    };
+    
+    // Clear any existing timeout and start a new one
+    debouncedUpdate();
+    
+    // Cleanup timeout on unmount or state change
+    return () => {
+      clearTimeout(updateTimeoutId);
+    };
   // Deliberately exclude unreadCountMap to prevent infinite loops
-  }, [updateUnreadCounts, state.emails]);
+  }, [state.emails, updateUnreadCounts]);
 
   // Fetch unread counts from API
   const fetchUnreadCounts = useCallback(async () => {
-    if (!session?.user?.id) return;
+    // Don't fetch if user is not logged in
+    if (!session?.user) return;
+    
+    // Don't fetch if we're already fetching
+    if (state.isLoadingUnreadCounts) return;
+    
+    // Skip fetching if an email was viewed recently (within last 2 seconds)
+    const now = Date.now();
+    const lastViewedTimestamp = (window as any).__lastViewedEmailTimestamp || 0;
+    if (lastViewedTimestamp && now - lastViewedTimestamp < 2000) {
+      return;
+    }
+    
+    // Reset failure tracking if it's been more than 1 minute since last failure
+    if ((window as any).__unreadCountFailures && now - (window as any).__unreadCountFailures > 60000) {
+      (window as any).__unreadCountFailures = 0;
+    }
+    
+    // Exponential backoff for failures
+    if ((window as any).__unreadCountFailures > 0) {
+      const backoffMs = Math.min(30000, 1000 * Math.pow(2, (window as any).__unreadCountFailures - 1));
+      if ((window as any).__unreadCountFailures && now - (window as any).__unreadCountFailures < backoffMs) {
+        return;
+      }
+    }
     
     try {
+      dispatch({ type: 'SET_LOADING_UNREAD_COUNTS', payload: true });
+      
+      const timeBeforeCall = performance.now();
       logEmailOp('FETCH_UNREAD', 'Fetching unread counts from API');
       
-      // Make API call to get unread counts for all folders
-      const response = await fetch('/api/courrier/unread-counts');
+      const response = await fetch('/api/courrier/unread-counts', {
+        method: 'GET',
+        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }
+      });
       
       if (!response.ok) {
-        throw new Error('Failed to fetch unread counts');
-      }
-      
-      const data = await response.json();
-      
-      if (data.counts && typeof data.counts === 'object') {
-        logEmailOp('UNREAD_API', 'Received unread counts from API', data.counts);
+        // If request failed, increment failure count but cap it
+        (window as any).__unreadCountFailures = Math.min((window as any).__unreadCountFailures || 0 + 1, 10);
+        const failures = (window as any).__unreadCountFailures;
         
-        // Merge with existing unread counts rather than replacing
-        const mergedCounts = { ...state.unreadCountMap };
-        
-        // Update unread counts in state
-        Object.entries(data.counts).forEach(([accountId, folderCounts]: [string, any]) => {
-          if (!mergedCounts[accountId]) {
-            mergedCounts[accountId] = {};
+        if (failures > 3) {
+          // After 3 failures, slow down requests with exponential backoff
+          const backoffTime = Math.min(Math.pow(2, failures - 3) * 1000, 30000); // Max 30 seconds
+          logEmailOp('FETCH_UNREAD', `API failure #${failures}, backing off for ${backoffTime}ms`);
+          
+          // Schedule next attempt with backoff
+          if ((window as any).__failureBackoffTimer) {
+            clearTimeout((window as any).__failureBackoffTimer);
           }
           
-          Object.entries(folderCounts).forEach(([folder, count]: [string, any]) => {
-            mergedCounts[accountId][folder] = typeof count === 'number' ? count : 0;
-          });
-        });
+          (window as any).__failureBackoffTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+            fetchUnreadCounts();
+          }, backoffTime);
+          
+          throw new Error(`Failed to fetch unread counts: ${response.status}`);
+        }
+      } else {
+        // Reset failure counter on success
+        (window as any).__unreadCountFailures = 0;
         
-        // Only dispatch if there are actual changes
-        let hasChanges = false;
+        const data = await response.json();
+        const timeAfterCall = performance.now();
+        logEmailOp('FETCH_UNREAD', `Received unread counts in ${(timeAfterCall - timeBeforeCall).toFixed(2)}ms`, data);
         
-        Object.entries(mergedCounts).forEach(([accountId, folderCounts]) => {
-          Object.entries(folderCounts).forEach(([folder, count]) => {
-            if (state.unreadCountMap[accountId]?.[folder] !== count) {
-              hasChanges = true;
-            }
-          });
-        });
-        
-        if (hasChanges) {
-          dispatch({ 
-            type: 'SET_UNREAD_COUNTS', 
-            payload: mergedCounts 
-          });
+        if (data && typeof data === 'object') {
+          dispatch({ type: 'SET_UNREAD_COUNTS', payload: data });
         }
       }
     } catch (error) {
-      logEmailOp('ERROR', `Failed to fetch unread counts: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`);
-      // Don't show toast for this error as it's not critical
+      console.error('Error fetching unread counts:', error);
+    } finally {
+      dispatch({ type: 'SET_LOADING_UNREAD_COUNTS', payload: false });
     }
-  }, [session?.user?.id, state.unreadCountMap, dispatch, logEmailOp]);
+  }, [dispatch, session?.user, state.isLoadingUnreadCounts, logEmailOp]);
   
-  // Fetch unread counts when accounts are loaded
-  useEffect(() => {
-    let isMounted = true;
+  // Tracking when an email is viewed to optimize unread count refreshes
+  const lastViewedEmailRef = useRef<number | null>(null);
+  const fetchFailuresRef = useRef<number>(0);
+  const lastFetchFailureRef = useRef<number | null>(null);
+
+  // Modify viewEmail to track when an email is viewed
+  const viewEmail = useCallback((emailId: string, accountId: string, folder: string, email: Email | null) => {
+    dispatch({ 
+      type: 'SELECT_EMAIL', 
+      payload: { emailId, accountId, folder, email } 
+    });
     
-    if (state.accounts.length > 0) {
-      fetchUnreadCounts().then(() => {
-        if (!isMounted) return;
-      }).catch(error => {
-        if (!isMounted) return;
-        logEmailOp('ERROR', `Background unread count fetch failed: ${String(error)}`);
-      });
-    }
-    
-    return () => {
-      isMounted = false;
-    };
-  }, [state.accounts.length, fetchUnreadCounts, logEmailOp]);
-  
-  // Set up periodic refresh of unread counts (every 60 seconds)
-  useEffect(() => {
-    let isMounted = true;
-    
-    const intervalId = setInterval(() => {
-      if (!isMounted || state.accounts.length === 0) return;
+    // Track when an email is viewed to delay unread count refresh
+    if (email) {
+      lastViewedEmailRef.current = Date.now();
       
-      fetchUnreadCounts().catch(error => {
-        if (!isMounted) return;
-        logEmailOp('ERROR', `Periodic unread count fetch failed: ${String(error)}`);
-      });
-    }, 60000);
-    
-    return () => {
-      isMounted = false;
-      clearInterval(intervalId);
-    };
-  }, [state.accounts.length, fetchUnreadCounts, logEmailOp]);
+      // If email is unread, mark it as read
+      if (email.flags && !email.flags.seen) {
+        dispatch({
+          type: 'MARK_EMAIL_AS_READ',
+          payload: { emailId, isRead: true, accountId }
+        });
+      }
+    } else {
+      // Email was deselected, schedule a refresh of unread counts after delay
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        fetchUnreadCounts();
+      }, 2000);
+    }
+  }, [dispatch, fetchUnreadCounts]);
 
   // Return all state values and actions
   return {
@@ -839,6 +879,8 @@ export const useEmailState = () => {
     setPage,
     setEmails,
     selectAccount,
-    handleLoadMore
+    handleLoadMore,
+    fetchUnreadCounts,
+    viewEmail
   };
 }; 
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/reducers/emailReducer.ts b/lib/reducers/emailReducer.ts
index f869ae11..a1133a02 100644
--- a/lib/reducers/emailReducer.ts
+++ b/lib/reducers/emailReducer.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export interface EmailState {
   selectedEmail: Email | null;
   selectedEmailIds: string[];
   isLoading: boolean;
+  isLoadingUnreadCounts: boolean;
   error: string | null;
   page: number;
   perPage: number;
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@ export interface EmailState {
   mailboxes: string[];
   unreadCountMap: Record<string, Record<string, number>>;
   showFolders: boolean;
+  currentAccountId?: string;
 }
 
 // Define all possible action types
@@ -40,6 +42,7 @@ export type EmailAction =
   | { type: 'TOGGLE_SELECT_ALL' }
   | { type: 'CLEAR_SELECTED_EMAILS' }
   | { type: 'SET_LOADING', payload: boolean }
+  | { type: 'SET_LOADING_UNREAD_COUNTS', payload: boolean }
   | { type: 'SET_ERROR', payload: string | null }
   | { type: 'SET_PAGE', payload: number }
   | { type: 'INCREMENT_PAGE' }
@@ -61,6 +64,7 @@ export const initialState: EmailState = {
   selectedEmail: null,
   selectedEmailIds: [],
   isLoading: false,
+  isLoadingUnreadCounts: false,
   error: null,
   page: 1,
   perPage: 20,
@@ -281,6 +285,12 @@ export function emailReducer(state: EmailState, action: EmailAction): EmailState
         isLoading: action.payload
       };
     
+    case 'SET_LOADING_UNREAD_COUNTS':
+      return {
+        ...state,
+        isLoadingUnreadCounts: action.payload
+      };
+    
     case 'SET_ERROR':
       return {
         ...state,