diff --git a/lyra/memory.py b/lyra/memory.py
index 0529612..a7a3478 100644
--- a/lyra/memory.py
+++ b/lyra/memory.py
@@ -131,6 +131,11 @@ def _connection() -> sqlite3.Connection:
         # alongside the web server without tripping "database is locked".
         _conn.execute("PRAGMA busy_timeout=5000")
         _conn.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL")
+        # WAL's recommended companion: don't fsync on every commit (only at
+        # checkpoint). Safe against app crashes; a power/OS crash can lose the last
+        # txn but never corrupt. On disk-backed storage this turns ~0.15s-per-commit
+        # fsync latency into ~nothing — big win for per-turn writes + the dream loop.
+        _conn.execute("PRAGMA synchronous=NORMAL")
         _conn.executescript(SCHEMA)
         # Migrations for DBs created before a column existed (no-op if present).
         for ddl in ("ALTER TABLE sessions ADD COLUMN mode TEXT",):