diff --git a/src/shared/components/app/navbar.tsx b/src/shared/components/app/navbar.tsx
index aa1bef26..6bad5a55 100644
--- a/src/shared/components/app/navbar.tsx
+++ b/src/shared/components/app/navbar.tsx
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ export class Navbar extends Component<NavbarProps, NavbarState> {
     if (isBrowser()) {
       // On the first load, check the unreads
       this.requestNotificationPermission();
-      await this.fetchUnreads();
+      this.fetchUnreads();
       this.requestNotificationPermission();
 
       document.addEventListener("mouseup", this.handleOutsideMenuClick);
@@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ export class Navbar extends Component<NavbarProps, NavbarState> {
     return amAdmin() || moderatesS;
   }
 
-  async fetchUnreads() {
+  fetchUnreads() {
     poll(async () => {
       const auth = myAuth();
       if (auth) {
diff --git a/src/shared/utils.ts b/src/shared/utils.ts
index a4a5054c..7b30390f 100644
--- a/src/shared/utils.ts
+++ b/src/shared/utils.ts
@@ -1499,6 +1499,8 @@ function sleep<T>(millis: number): Promise<T> {
 /**
  * Polls / repeatedly runs a promise, every X milliseconds
  */
-export function poll(promiseFn: any, millis: number) {
-  promiseFn().then(sleep(millis).then(() => poll(promiseFn, millis)));
+export async function poll(promiseFn: any, millis: number) {
+  await promiseFn();
+  await sleep(millis);
+  return poll(promiseFn, millis);
 }