diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 86a47d8f..26716dcc 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](http://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 and adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
 ## Unreleased
+- Sleep before a retry rather than after each try.
 
 ## v6.0.0 - 2025-10-28
 - ⚠️ [Breaking] Remove `ApiVersion::LATEST` constant to prevent semver violations. The `apiVersion` parameter is now required in `Context::initialize()`. Developers must explicitly specify API versions. See the [migration guide](BREAKING_CHANGES_FOR_V6.md#removal-of-apiversionlatest-constant) for details.
diff --git a/src/Clients/Http.php b/src/Clients/Http.php
index 4f03ab61..e6f5c65c 100644
--- a/src/Clients/Http.php
+++ b/src/Clients/Http.php
@@ -213,6 +213,9 @@ protected function request(
         $currentTries = 0;
         do {
             $currentTries++;
+            if ($currentTries > 1) {
+                usleep((int)($retryAfter * 1000000));
+            }
 
             $response = HttpResponse::fromResponse($client->sendRequest($request));
 
@@ -220,8 +223,6 @@ protected function request(
                 $retryAfter = $response->hasHeader(HttpHeaders::RETRY_AFTER)
                     ? $response->getHeaderLine(HttpHeaders::RETRY_AFTER)
                     : Context::$RETRY_TIME_IN_SECONDS;
-
-                usleep((int)($retryAfter * 1000000));
             } else {
                 break;
             }