diff --git a/src/chunks.rs b/src/chunks.rs
index f4bac97..4330b10 100644
--- a/src/chunks.rs
+++ b/src/chunks.rs
@@ -237,13 +237,13 @@ impl<T> Producer<T> {
     /// For a safe alternative that provides mutable slices of [`Default`]-initialized slots,
     /// see [`Producer::write_chunk()`].
     pub fn write_chunk_uninit(&mut self, n: usize) -> Result<WriteChunkUninit<'_, T>, ChunkError> {
-        let tail = self.tail.get();
+        let tail = self.buffer.tail.load(Ordering::Acquire);
 
         // Check if the queue has *possibly* not enough slots.
-        if self.buffer.capacity - self.buffer.distance(self.head.get(), tail) < n {
+        if self.buffer.capacity - self.buffer.distance(self.cached_head.get(), tail) < n {
             // Refresh the head ...
             let head = self.buffer.head.load(Ordering::Acquire);
-            self.head.set(head);
+            self.cached_head.set(head);
 
             // ... and check if there *really* are not enough slots.
             let slots = self.buffer.capacity - self.buffer.distance(head, tail);
@@ -286,13 +286,13 @@ impl<T> Consumer<T> {
     ///
     /// See the documentation of the [`chunks`](crate::chunks#examples) module.
     pub fn read_chunk(&mut self, n: usize) -> Result<ReadChunk<'_, T>, ChunkError> {
-        let head = self.head.get();
+        let head = self.buffer.head.load(Ordering::Acquire);
 
         // Check if the queue has *possibly* not enough slots.
-        if self.buffer.distance(head, self.tail.get()) < n {
+        if self.buffer.distance(head, self.cached_tail.get()) < n {
             // Refresh the tail ...
             let tail = self.buffer.tail.load(Ordering::Acquire);
-            self.tail.set(tail);
+            self.cached_tail.set(tail);
 
             // ... and check if there *really* are not enough slots.
             let slots = self.buffer.distance(head, tail);
@@ -465,9 +465,9 @@ impl<T> WriteChunkUninit<'_, T> {
     }
 
     unsafe fn commit_unchecked(self, n: usize) -> usize {
-        let tail = self.producer.buffer.increment(self.producer.tail.get(), n);
+        let tail = self.producer.buffer.tail.load(Ordering::Acquire);
+        let tail = self.producer.buffer.increment(tail, n);
         self.producer.buffer.tail.store(tail, Ordering::Release);
-        self.producer.tail.set(tail);
         n
     }
 
@@ -654,7 +654,7 @@ impl<T> ReadChunk<'_, T> {
     }
 
     unsafe fn commit_unchecked(self, n: usize) -> usize {
-        let head = self.consumer.head.get();
+        let head = self.consumer.buffer.head.load(Ordering::Acquire);
         // Safety: head has not yet been incremented
         let first_ptr = self.consumer.buffer.slot_ptr(head);
         let first_len = self.first_len.min(n);
@@ -668,7 +668,6 @@ impl<T> ReadChunk<'_, T> {
         }
         let head = self.consumer.buffer.increment(head, n);
         self.consumer.buffer.head.store(head, Ordering::Release);
-        self.consumer.head.set(head);
         n
     }
 
@@ -722,9 +721,8 @@ impl<'a, T> Drop for ReadChunkIntoIter<'a, T> {
         let consumer = &self.chunk.consumer;
         let head = consumer
             .buffer
-            .increment(consumer.head.get(), self.iterated);
+            .increment(consumer.buffer.head.load(Ordering::Acquire), self.iterated);
         consumer.buffer.head.store(head, Ordering::Release);
-        consumer.head.set(head);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 8d1f165..0bf0f13 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -126,13 +126,11 @@ impl<T> RingBuffer<T> {
         });
         let p = Producer {
             buffer: buffer.clone(),
-            head: Cell::new(0),
-            tail: Cell::new(0),
+            cached_head: Cell::new(0),
         };
         let c = Consumer {
             buffer,
-            head: Cell::new(0),
-            tail: Cell::new(0),
+            cached_tail: Cell::new(0),
         };
         (p, c)
     }
@@ -281,12 +279,7 @@ pub struct Producer<T> {
     /// A copy of `buffer.head` for quick access.
     ///
     /// This value can be stale and sometimes needs to be resynchronized with `buffer.head`.
-    head: Cell<usize>,
-
-    /// A copy of `buffer.tail` for quick access.
-    ///
-    /// This value is always in sync with `buffer.tail`.
-    tail: Cell<usize>,
+    cached_head: Cell<usize>,
 }
 
 unsafe impl<T: Send> Send for Producer<T> {}
@@ -318,7 +311,6 @@ impl<T> Producer<T> {
             }
             let tail = self.buffer.increment1(tail);
             self.buffer.tail.store(tail, Ordering::Release);
-            self.tail.set(tail);
             Ok(())
         } else {
             Err(PushError::Full(value))
@@ -345,8 +337,9 @@ impl<T> Producer<T> {
     /// ```
     pub fn slots(&self) -> usize {
         let head = self.buffer.head.load(Ordering::Acquire);
-        self.head.set(head);
-        self.buffer.capacity - self.buffer.distance(head, self.tail.get())
+        let tail = self.buffer.tail.load(Ordering::Acquire);
+        self.cached_head.set(head);
+        self.buffer.capacity - self.buffer.distance(head, tail)
     }
 
     /// Returns `true` if there are currently no slots available for writing.
@@ -441,13 +434,13 @@ impl<T> Producer<T> {
     /// This is a strict subset of the functionality implemented in `write_chunk_uninit()`.
     /// For performance, this special case is immplemented separately.
     fn next_tail(&self) -> Option<usize> {
-        let tail = self.tail.get();
+        let tail = self.buffer.tail.load(Ordering::Acquire);
 
         // Check if the queue is *possibly* full.
-        if self.buffer.distance(self.head.get(), tail) == self.buffer.capacity {
+        if self.buffer.distance(self.cached_head.get(), tail) == self.buffer.capacity {
             // Refresh the head ...
             let head = self.buffer.head.load(Ordering::Acquire);
-            self.head.set(head);
+            self.cached_head.set(head);
 
             // ... and check if it's *really* full.
             if self.buffer.distance(head, tail) == self.buffer.capacity {
@@ -483,15 +476,10 @@ pub struct Consumer<T> {
     /// A reference to the ring buffer.
     buffer: Arc<RingBuffer<T>>,
 
-    /// A copy of `buffer.head` for quick access.
-    ///
-    /// This value is always in sync with `buffer.head`.
-    head: Cell<usize>,
-
     /// A copy of `buffer.tail` for quick access.
     ///
     /// This value can be stale and sometimes needs to be resynchronized with `buffer.tail`.
-    tail: Cell<usize>,
+    cached_tail: Cell<usize>,
 }
 
 unsafe impl<T: Send> Send for Consumer<T> {}
@@ -531,7 +519,6 @@ impl<T> Consumer<T> {
             let value = unsafe { self.buffer.slot_ptr(head).read() };
             let head = self.buffer.increment1(head);
             self.buffer.head.store(head, Ordering::Release);
-            self.head.set(head);
             Ok(value)
         } else {
             Err(PopError::Empty)
@@ -583,9 +570,10 @@ impl<T> Consumer<T> {
     /// assert_eq!(c.slots(), 0);
     /// ```
     pub fn slots(&self) -> usize {
+        let head = self.buffer.head.load(Ordering::Acquire);
         let tail = self.buffer.tail.load(Ordering::Acquire);
-        self.tail.set(tail);
-        self.buffer.distance(self.head.get(), tail)
+        self.cached_tail.set(tail);
+        self.buffer.distance(head, tail)
     }
 
     /// Returns `true` if there are currently no slots available for reading.
@@ -679,13 +667,13 @@ impl<T> Consumer<T> {
     /// This is a strict subset of the functionality implemented in `read_chunk()`.
     /// For performance, this special case is immplemented separately.
     fn next_head(&self) -> Option<usize> {
-        let head = self.head.get();
+        let head = self.buffer.head.load(Ordering::Acquire);
 
         // Check if the queue is *possibly* empty.
-        if head == self.tail.get() {
+        if head == self.cached_tail.get() {
             // Refresh the tail ...
             let tail = self.buffer.tail.load(Ordering::Acquire);
-            self.tail.set(tail);
+            self.cached_tail.set(tail);
 
             // ... and check if it's *really* empty.
             if head == tail {