diff --git a/include/libtorrent/session_settings.hpp b/include/libtorrent/session_settings.hpp
index c5ae781de..55b332f45 100644
--- a/include/libtorrent/session_settings.hpp
+++ b/include/libtorrent/session_settings.hpp
@@ -102,7 +102,11 @@ namespace libtorrent
 			, min_reconnect_time(60)
 			, peer_connect_timeout(7)
 			, ignore_limits_on_local_network(true)
+#if !defined NDEBUG && !defined TORRENT_DISABLE_INVARIANT_CHECKS
+			, connection_speed(2)
+#else
 			, connection_speed(20)
+#endif
 			, send_redundant_have(false)
 			, lazy_bitfields(true)
 			, inactivity_timeout(600)