diff --git a/src/client.ts b/src/client.ts
index d567d20..bb3f5f5 100644
--- a/src/client.ts
+++ b/src/client.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   IStompSocket,
   messageCallbackType,
   StompSocketState,
+  TickerStrategy,
   wsErrorCallbackType,
 } from './types.js';
 import { Versions } from './versions.js';
@@ -100,6 +101,16 @@ export class Client {
    */
   public heartbeatOutgoing: number = 10000;
 
+  /**
+   * Outgoing heartbeat strategy.
+   * Can be worker or interval strategy, but will always use interval if the client is used in a non-browser environment.
+   * 
+   * Interval strategy can be helpful if you discover disconnects after moving the browser in the background while the client is connected.
+   * 
+   * Defaults to interval strategy.
+   */
+  public heartbeatStrategy: TickerStrategy = TickerStrategy.Interval;
+
   /**
    * This switches on a non-standard behavior while sending WebSocket packets.
    * It splits larger (text) packets into chunks of [maxWebSocketChunkSize]{@link Client#maxWebSocketChunkSize}.
@@ -453,6 +464,7 @@ export class Client {
       disconnectHeaders: this._disconnectHeaders,
       heartbeatIncoming: this.heartbeatIncoming,
       heartbeatOutgoing: this.heartbeatOutgoing,
+      heartbeatStrategy: this.heartbeatStrategy,
       splitLargeFrames: this.splitLargeFrames,
       maxWebSocketChunkSize: this.maxWebSocketChunkSize,
       forceBinaryWSFrames: this.forceBinaryWSFrames,
diff --git a/src/stomp-config.ts b/src/stomp-config.ts
index b536fae..463f0da 100644
--- a/src/stomp-config.ts
+++ b/src/stomp-config.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { StompHeaders } from './stomp-headers.js';
 import {
   ActivationState,
+  TickerStrategy,
   closeEventCallbackType,
   debugFnType,
   frameCallbackType,
@@ -52,6 +53,11 @@ export class StompConfig {
    */
   public heartbeatOutgoing?: number;
 
+  /**
+   * See [Client#heartbeatStrategy]{@link Client#heartbeatStrategy}.
+   */
+  public heartbeatStrategy?: TickerStrategy;
+
   /**
    * See [Client#splitLargeFrames]{@link Client#splitLargeFrames}.
    */
diff --git a/src/stomp-handler.ts b/src/stomp-handler.ts
index 198a82f..aedae45 100644
--- a/src/stomp-handler.ts
+++ b/src/stomp-handler.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { augmentWebsocket } from './augment-websocket.js';
 import { BYTE } from './byte.js';
 import { Client } from './client.js';
 import { FrameImpl } from './frame-impl.js';
@@ -6,6 +7,7 @@ import { ITransaction } from './i-transaction.js';
 import { Parser } from './parser.js';
 import { StompHeaders } from './stomp-headers.js';
 import { StompSubscription } from './stomp-subscription.js';
+import { Ticker } from './ticker.js';
 import {
   closeEventCallbackType,
   debugFnType,
@@ -19,7 +21,6 @@ import {
   wsErrorCallbackType,
 } from './types.js';
 import { Versions } from './versions.js';
-import { augmentWebsocket } from './augment-websocket.js';
 
 /**
  * The STOMP protocol handler
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ export class StompHandler {
   private _partialData: string;
   private _escapeHeaderValues: boolean;
   private _counter: number;
-  private _pinger: any;
+  private _pinger?: Ticker;
   private _ponger: any;
   private _lastServerActivityTS: number;
 
@@ -289,12 +290,14 @@ export class StompHandler {
     if (this.heartbeatOutgoing !== 0 && serverIncoming !== 0) {
       const ttl: number = Math.max(this.heartbeatOutgoing, serverIncoming);
       this.debug(`send PING every ${ttl}ms`);
-      this._pinger = setInterval(() => {
+
+      this._pinger = new Ticker(ttl, this._client.heartbeatStrategy);
+      this._pinger.start(() => {
         if (this._webSocket.readyState === StompSocketState.OPEN) {
           this._webSocket.send(BYTE.LF);
           this.debug('>>> PING');
         }
-      }, ttl);
+      });
     }
 
     if (this.heartbeatIncoming !== 0 && serverOutgoing !== 0) {
@@ -426,7 +429,7 @@ export class StompHandler {
     this._connected = false;
 
     if (this._pinger) {
-      clearInterval(this._pinger);
+      this._pinger.stop();
       this._pinger = undefined;
     }
     if (this._ponger) {
diff --git a/src/ticker.ts b/src/ticker.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f02a2ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ticker.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+import { TickerStrategy } from './types.js';
+
+export class Ticker {
+  private readonly _workerScript = `
+    var startTime = Date.now();
+    setInterval(function() {
+        self.postMessage(Date.now() - startTime);
+    }, ${this._interval});
+  `;
+
+  private _worker?: Worker;
+  private _timer?: NodeJS.Timer;
+
+  constructor(
+    private readonly _interval: number,
+    private readonly _strategy = TickerStrategy.Interval) {
+  }
+
+  public start(tick: (elapsedTime: number) => void): void {
+    this.stop();
+
+    if (this.shouldUseWorker()) {
+      this.runWorker(tick);
+    } else {
+      this.runInterval(tick);
+    }
+  }
+
+  public stop(): void {
+    this.disposeWorker();
+    this.disposeInterval();
+  }
+
+  private shouldUseWorker(): boolean {
+    return typeof(Worker) !== 'undefined' && this._strategy === TickerStrategy.Worker
+  }
+
+  private runWorker(tick: (elapsedTime: number) => void): void {
+    if (!this._worker) {
+      this._worker = new Worker(
+        URL.createObjectURL(
+          new Blob([this._workerScript], { type: 'text/javascript' })
+        )
+      );
+      this._worker.onmessage = (message) => tick(message.data);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private runInterval(tick: (elapsedTime: number) => void): void {
+    if (!this._timer) {
+      const startTime = Date.now();
+      this._timer = setInterval(() => {
+        tick(Date.now() - startTime);
+      }, this._interval);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private disposeWorker(): void {
+    if (this._worker) {
+      this._worker.terminate();
+      delete this._worker;
+    }
+  }
+
+  private disposeInterval(): void {
+    if (this._timer) {
+      clearInterval(this._timer);
+      delete this._timer;
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index c8ba1f7..b9d7331 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -157,6 +157,14 @@ export enum ActivationState {
   INACTIVE,
 }
 
+/**
+ * Possible ticker strategies
+ */
+export enum TickerStrategy {
+  Interval = 'interval',
+  Worker = 'worker'
+}
+
 /**
  * @internal
  */
@@ -167,6 +175,7 @@ export interface IStomptHandlerConfig {
   disconnectHeaders: StompHeaders;
   heartbeatIncoming: number;
   heartbeatOutgoing: number;
+  heartbeatStrategy: TickerStrategy;
   splitLargeFrames: boolean;
   maxWebSocketChunkSize: number;
   forceBinaryWSFrames: boolean;