diff --git a/Modules/_ssl.c b/Modules/_ssl.c
index 5e0f473..c21ac5d 100644
--- a/Modules/_ssl.c
+++ b/Modules/_ssl.c
@@ -445,20 +445,25 @@
 {
 	int ret;
 	int err;
-	int sockstate;
+	int sockstate, nonblocking;
+        PySocketSockObject *sock
+          = (PySocketSockObject *) PyWeakref_GetObject(self->Socket);
+
+	if (((PyObject*)sock) == Py_None) {
+                _setSSLError("Underlying socket connection gone",
+                             PY_SSL_ERROR_NO_SOCKET, __FILE__, __LINE__);
+                return NULL;
+        }
+
+	/* just in case the blocking state of the socket has been changed */
+	nonblocking = (sock->sock_timeout >= 0.0);
+	BIO_set_nbio(SSL_get_rbio(self->ssl), nonblocking);
+	BIO_set_nbio(SSL_get_wbio(self->ssl), nonblocking);
 
 	/* Actually negotiate SSL connection */
 	/* XXX If SSL_do_handshake() returns 0, it's also a failure. */
 	sockstate = 0;
 	do {
-                PySocketSockObject *sock
-                  = (PySocketSockObject *) PyWeakref_GetObject(self->Socket);
-                if (((PyObject*)sock) == Py_None) {
-                        _setSSLError("Underlying socket connection gone",
-                                     PY_SSL_ERROR_NO_SOCKET, __FILE__, __LINE__);
-                        return NULL;
-                }
-
 		PySSL_BEGIN_ALLOW_THREADS
 		ret = SSL_do_handshake(self->ssl);
 		err = SSL_get_error(self->ssl, ret);