diff --git a/components/esp_system/test_apps/esp_system_unity_tests/main/test_sleep.c b/components/esp_system/test_apps/esp_system_unity_tests/main/test_sleep.c
index 91fd82e6074..9899493bafb 100644
--- a/components/esp_system/test_apps/esp_system_unity_tests/main/test_sleep.c
+++ b/components/esp_system/test_apps/esp_system_unity_tests/main/test_sleep.c
@@ -97,6 +97,8 @@ TEST_CASE("light sleep stress test", "[lightsleep]")
 #if CONFIG_FREERTOS_NUMBER_OF_CORES == 2
     xSemaphoreTake(done, portMAX_DELAY);
 #endif
+    /* vTaskDelete() only queues TCB/stack for idle; wait for two idle passes. */
+    vTaskDelay(2);
     vSemaphoreDelete(done);
 }
 
@@ -123,9 +125,12 @@ TEST_CASE("light sleep stress test with periodic esp_timer", "[lightsleep]")
 #if CONFIG_FREERTOS_NUMBER_OF_CORES == 2
     xSemaphoreTake(done, portMAX_DELAY);
 #endif
-    vSemaphoreDelete(done);
+    /* Stop the periodic timer first, otherwise it starves idle and the
+     * self-deleted worker looks like a leak to Unity. */
     esp_timer_stop(timer);
     esp_timer_delete(timer);
+    vTaskDelay(2);
+    vSemaphoreDelete(done);
 }
 #endif // !(CONFIG_SPIRAM) || (CONFIG_SPIRAM_MALLOC_ALWAYSINTERNAL >= 16384)