diff --git a/src/bin/importer_online.rs b/src/bin/importer_online.rs
index 47df3939f..1b4013938 100644
--- a/src/bin/importer_online.rs
+++ b/src/bin/importer_online.rs
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ use stratus::eth::Executor;
 use stratus::ext::named_spawn;
 use stratus::ext::traced_sleep;
 use stratus::ext::DisplayExt;
+use stratus::ext::SleepReason;
 use stratus::ext::SpanExt;
 use stratus::if_else;
 #[cfg(feature = "metrics")]
@@ -277,7 +278,7 @@ async fn start_number_fetcher(chain: Arc<BlockchainClient>, sync_interval: Durat
                     "fetched current block number via http. awaiting sync interval to retrieve again."
                 );
                 set_external_rpc_current_block(number);
-                traced_sleep(sync_interval).await;
+                traced_sleep(sync_interval, SleepReason::SyncData).await;
             }
             Err(e) => {
                 tracing::error!(reason = ?e, "failed to retrieve block number. retrying now.");
@@ -343,7 +344,7 @@ async fn fetch_block_and_receipts(chain: Arc<BlockchainClient>, number: BlockNum
     let block = fetch_block(Arc::clone(&chain), number).await;
 
     // wait some time until receipts are available
-    let _ = traced_sleep(INTERVAL_FETCH_RECEIPTS).await;
+    let _ = traced_sleep(INTERVAL_FETCH_RECEIPTS, SleepReason::SyncData).await;
 
     // fetch receipts in parallel
     let mut receipts_tasks = Vec::with_capacity(block.transactions.len());
@@ -357,29 +358,25 @@ async fn fetch_block_and_receipts(chain: Arc<BlockchainClient>, number: BlockNum
 
 #[tracing::instrument(name = "importer::fetch_block", skip_all, fields(number))]
 async fn fetch_block(chain: Arc<BlockchainClient>, number: BlockNumber) -> ExternalBlock {
+    const RETRY_DELAY: Duration = Duration::from_millis(10);
     Span::with(|s| {
         s.rec_str("number", &number);
     });
 
-    let mut backoff_ms = 10;
     loop {
         tracing::info!(%number, "fetching block");
         let block = match chain.fetch_block(number).await {
             Ok(json) => json,
             Err(e) => {
-                backoff_ms *= 2;
-                backoff_ms = min(backoff_ms, 1000); // no more than 1000ms of backoff
-                tracing::warn!(reason = ?e, %number, %backoff_ms, "failed to retrieve block. retrying with backoff.");
-                traced_sleep(Duration::from_millis(backoff_ms)).await;
+                tracing::warn!(reason = ?e, %number, delay_ms=%RETRY_DELAY.as_millis(), "failed to retrieve block. retrying with delay.");
+                traced_sleep(RETRY_DELAY, SleepReason::RetryBackoff).await;
                 continue;
             }
         };
 
         if block.is_null() {
-            backoff_ms *= 2;
-            backoff_ms = min(backoff_ms, 1000); // no more than 1000ms of backoff
-            tracing::warn!(%number, "block not available yet because block is not mined. retrying with backoff.");
-            traced_sleep(Duration::from_millis(backoff_ms)).await;
+            tracing::warn!(%number, delay_ms=%RETRY_DELAY.as_millis(), "block not mined yet. retrying with delay.");
+            traced_sleep(RETRY_DELAY, SleepReason::SyncData).await;
             continue;
         }
 
diff --git a/src/bin/relayer.rs b/src/bin/relayer.rs
index 9fc9de359..6cb7c6351 100644
--- a/src/bin/relayer.rs
+++ b/src/bin/relayer.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ mod importer_online;
 
 use stratus::config::ExternalRelayerConfig;
 use stratus::ext::traced_sleep;
+use stratus::ext::SleepReason;
 #[cfg(feature = "metrics")]
 use stratus::infra::metrics;
 use stratus::utils::DropTimer;
@@ -47,7 +48,7 @@ async fn run(config: ExternalRelayerConfig) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
             Some(block_number) => tracing::info!(number = %block_number, "relayed"),
             None => {
                 tracing::info!("no pending block found");
-                traced_sleep(backoff).await;
+                traced_sleep(backoff, SleepReason::RetryBackoff).await;
             }
         };
     }
diff --git a/src/eth/consensus/mod.rs b/src/eth/consensus/mod.rs
index bfd5046f6..637aadc78 100644
--- a/src/eth/consensus/mod.rs
+++ b/src/eth/consensus/mod.rs
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ use crate::eth::primitives::Hash;
 use crate::eth::storage::StratusStorage;
 use crate::ext::named_spawn;
 use crate::ext::traced_sleep;
+use crate::ext::SleepReason;
 use crate::infra::BlockchainClient;
 use crate::GlobalState;
 
@@ -200,7 +201,7 @@ impl Consensus {
             loop {
                 let timeout = consensus.heartbeat_timeout;
                 tokio::select! {
-                    _ = traced_sleep(timeout) => {
+                    _ = traced_sleep(timeout, SleepReason::Interval) => {
                         if !consensus.is_leader().await {
                             tracing::info!("starting election due to heartbeat timeout");
                             Self::start_election(Arc::clone(&consensus)).await;
@@ -612,7 +613,7 @@ impl Consensus {
                     }
                     Err(e) => {
                         tracing::warn!("failed to append block to peer {:?}: {:?}", peer.client, e);
-                        traced_sleep(RETRY_DELAY).await;
+                        traced_sleep(RETRY_DELAY, SleepReason::RetryBackoff).await;
                     }
                 }
             }
diff --git a/src/eth/primitives/execution_result.rs b/src/eth/primitives/execution_result.rs
index 9e4a22ce6..0c1612bcc 100644
--- a/src/eth/primitives/execution_result.rs
+++ b/src/eth/primitives/execution_result.rs
@@ -8,15 +8,15 @@ use sqlx::error::BoxDynError;
 #[serde(rename_all = "snake_case")]
 pub enum ExecutionResult {
     /// Finished normally (RETURN opcode).
-    #[strum(serialize = "success")]
+    #[strum(to_string = "success")]
     Success,
 
     /// Transaction execution finished with a reversion (REVERT opcode).
-    #[strum(serialize = "reverted")]
+    #[strum(to_string = "reverted")]
     Reverted,
 
     /// Transaction execution did not finish.
-    #[strum(serialize = "halted")]
+    #[strum(to_string = "halted")]
     Halted { reason: String },
 }
 
diff --git a/src/eth/primitives/storage_point_in_time.rs b/src/eth/primitives/storage_point_in_time.rs
index afa644a4b..8df02151c 100644
--- a/src/eth/primitives/storage_point_in_time.rs
+++ b/src/eth/primitives/storage_point_in_time.rs
@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@ use crate::infra::metrics::MetricLabelValue;
 pub enum StoragePointInTime {
     /// The current state of the EVM storage.
     #[default]
-    #[strum(serialize = "present")]
+    #[strum(to_string = "present")]
     Present,
 
     /// The state of the EVM storage at the given block number.
-    #[strum(serialize = "past")]
+    #[strum(to_string = "past")]
     Past(BlockNumber),
 }
 
diff --git a/src/eth/relayer/external.rs b/src/eth/relayer/external.rs
index cca300d6f..362d14be9 100644
--- a/src/eth/relayer/external.rs
+++ b/src/eth/relayer/external.rs
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ use crate::eth::primitives::Hash;
 use crate::eth::primitives::TransactionMined;
 use crate::ext::traced_sleep;
 use crate::ext::ResultExt;
+use crate::ext::SleepReason;
 use crate::ext::SpanExt;
 use crate::infra::blockchain_client::pending_transaction::PendingTransaction;
 #[cfg(feature = "metrics")]
@@ -165,7 +166,7 @@ impl ExternalRelayer {
                 }
             }
             substrate_receipt = PendingTransaction::new(tx_hash, &self.substrate_chain);
-            traced_sleep(Duration::from_millis(50)).await;
+            traced_sleep(Duration::from_millis(50), SleepReason::SyncData).await;
         }
     }
 
@@ -260,7 +261,7 @@ impl ExternalRelayer {
         let mut tries = 0;
         while self.substrate_chain.fetch_transaction(tx_mined.input.hash).await.unwrap_or(None).is_none() {
             tracing::warn!(?tx_mined.input.hash, ?tries, "transaction not found, retrying...");
-            traced_sleep(Duration::from_millis(100)).await;
+            traced_sleep(Duration::from_millis(100), SleepReason::SyncData).await;
             tries += 1;
         }
 
diff --git a/src/eth/rpc/rpc_subscriptions.rs b/src/eth/rpc/rpc_subscriptions.rs
index a0d235b44..c4dbaf5e9 100644
--- a/src/eth/rpc/rpc_subscriptions.rs
+++ b/src/eth/rpc/rpc_subscriptions.rs
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ use crate::eth::primitives::LogMined;
 use crate::ext::named_spawn;
 use crate::ext::not;
 use crate::ext::traced_sleep;
+use crate::ext::SleepReason;
 use crate::if_else;
 #[cfg(feature = "metrics")]
 use crate::infra::metrics;
@@ -84,7 +85,7 @@ impl RpcSubscriptions {
                 }
 
                 // await next iteration
-                traced_sleep(CLEANING_FREQUENCY).await;
+                traced_sleep(CLEANING_FREQUENCY, SleepReason::Interval).await;
             }
         })
     }
diff --git a/src/eth/storage/postgres_external_rpc/postgres_external_rpc.rs b/src/eth/storage/postgres_external_rpc/postgres_external_rpc.rs
index c82cac09f..41c3d9e19 100644
--- a/src/eth/storage/postgres_external_rpc/postgres_external_rpc.rs
+++ b/src/eth/storage/postgres_external_rpc/postgres_external_rpc.rs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ use crate::eth::primitives::Wei;
 use crate::eth::storage::ExternalRpcStorage;
 use crate::ext::traced_sleep;
 use crate::ext::ResultExt;
+use crate::ext::SleepReason;
 use crate::log_and_err;
 
 const MAX_RETRIES: u64 = 50;
@@ -75,7 +76,7 @@ impl ExternalRpcStorage for PostgresExternalRpcStorage {
 
     async fn read_blocks_in_range(&self, start: BlockNumber, end: BlockNumber) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<ExternalBlock>> {
         tracing::debug!(%start, %end, "retrieving external blocks in range");
-        let mut attempts: u64 = 0;
+        let mut attempt: u64 = 1;
 
         loop {
             let result = sqlx::query_file!(
@@ -95,23 +96,23 @@ impl ExternalRpcStorage for PostgresExternalRpcStorage {
                     let blocks_sorted = blocks.into_iter().sorted_by_key(|x| x.number()).collect();
                     return Ok(blocks_sorted);
                 }
-                Err(e) => {
-                    if attempts < MAX_RETRIES {
-                        attempts += 1;
-                        tracing::warn!("Attempt {} failed, retrying...: {}", attempts, e);
-                        traced_sleep(Duration::from_millis(attempts.pow(2))).await;
-                    // Exponential backoff
+                Err(e) =>
+                    if attempt <= MAX_RETRIES {
+                        tracing::warn!(reason = ?e, %attempt, "attempt failed. retrying now.");
+                        attempt += 1;
+
+                        let backoff = Duration::from_millis(attempt.pow(2));
+                        traced_sleep(backoff, SleepReason::RetryBackoff).await;
                     } else {
                         return log_and_err!(reason = e, "failed to retrieve external blocks");
-                    }
-                }
+                    },
             }
         }
     }
 
     async fn read_receipts_in_range(&self, start: BlockNumber, end: BlockNumber) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<ExternalReceipt>> {
         tracing::debug!(%start, %end, "retrieving external receipts in range");
-        let mut attempts: u64 = 0;
+        let mut attempt: u64 = 1;
 
         loop {
             let result = sqlx::query_file!(
@@ -130,16 +131,16 @@ impl ExternalRpcStorage for PostgresExternalRpcStorage {
                     }
                     return Ok(receipts);
                 }
-                Err(e) => {
-                    if attempts < MAX_RETRIES {
-                        attempts += 1;
-                        tracing::warn!("Attempt {} failed, retrying...: {}", attempts, e);
-                        traced_sleep(Duration::from_millis(attempts.pow(2))).await;
-                    // Exponential backoff
+                Err(e) =>
+                    if attempt <= MAX_RETRIES {
+                        tracing::warn!(reason = ?e, %attempt, "attempt failed. retrying now.");
+                        attempt += 1;
+
+                        let backoff = Duration::from_millis(attempt.pow(2));
+                        traced_sleep(backoff, SleepReason::RetryBackoff).await;
                     } else {
                         return log_and_err!(reason = e, "failed to retrieve receipts");
-                    }
-                }
+                    },
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/ext.rs b/src/ext.rs
index bd7d5f72e..20f09cf6c 100644
--- a/src/ext.rs
+++ b/src/ext.rs
@@ -273,12 +273,34 @@ macro_rules! log_and_err {
 // Tokio
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+/// Indicates why a sleep is happening.
+#[derive(Debug, strum::Display)]
+pub enum SleepReason {
+    /// Task is executed at predefined intervals.
+    #[strum(to_string = "interval")]
+    Interval,
+
+    /// Task is awaiting a backoff before retrying the operation.
+    #[strum(to_string = "retry-backoff")]
+    RetryBackoff,
+
+    /// Task is awaiting an external system or component to produde or synchronize data.
+    #[strum(to_string = "sync-data")]
+    SyncData,
+}
+
+/// Sleeps the current task and tracks why it is sleeping.
 #[inline(always)]
-pub async fn traced_sleep(duration: Duration) {
+pub async fn traced_sleep(duration: Duration, reason: SleepReason) {
     #[cfg(feature = "tracing")]
     {
-        let span = info_span!("tokio::sleep", duration_ms = %duration.as_millis());
-        tokio::time::sleep(duration).instrument(span).await;
+        let span = info_span!("tokio::sleep", duration_ms = %duration.as_millis(), %reason);
+        async {
+            tracing::debug!(duration_ms = %duration.as_millis(), %reason, "sleeping");
+            tokio::time::sleep(duration).await;
+        }
+        .instrument(span)
+        .await;
     }
 
     #[cfg(not(feature = "tracing"))]
diff --git a/tests/test_import_external_snapshot_common.rs b/tests/test_import_external_snapshot_common.rs
index 18f83c5f5..8c535b180 100644
--- a/tests/test_import_external_snapshot_common.rs
+++ b/tests/test_import_external_snapshot_common.rs
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ use stratus::eth::storage::InMemoryTemporaryStorage;
 use stratus::eth::storage::PermanentStorage;
 use stratus::eth::storage::StratusStorage;
 use stratus::ext::traced_sleep;
+use stratus::ext::SleepReason;
 use stratus::infra::docker::Docker;
 use stratus::GlobalServices;
 #[cfg(feature = "metrics")]
@@ -163,7 +164,7 @@ pub async fn execute_test(
     miner.mine_external_and_commit().await.unwrap();
 
     // get metrics from prometheus (sleep to ensure prometheus collected)
-    traced_sleep(Duration::from_secs(5)).await;
+    traced_sleep(Duration::from_secs(5), SleepReason::SyncData).await;
 
     println!("{}\n{}\n{}", "=".repeat(80), test_name, "=".repeat(80));
     for query in METRIC_QUERIES {