diff --git a/syncapi/storage/postgres/output_room_events_table.go b/syncapi/storage/postgres/output_room_events_table.go
index 3b69b26f6..4729d0db6 100644
--- a/syncapi/storage/postgres/output_room_events_table.go
+++ b/syncapi/storage/postgres/output_room_events_table.go
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ const updateEventJSONSQL = "" +
 const selectStateInRangeFilteredSQL = "" +
 	"SELECT event_id, id, headered_event_json, exclude_from_sync, add_state_ids, remove_state_ids, history_visibility" +
 	" FROM syncapi_output_room_events" +
-	" WHERE (id > $1 AND id <= $2) AND (add_state_ids IS NOT NULL OR remove_state_ids IS NOT NULL)" +
+	" WHERE (id > $1 AND id <= $2) AND (cardinality(add_state_ids) > 0 OR cardinality(remove_state_ids) > 0)" +
 	" AND room_id = ANY($3)" +
 	" AND ( $4::text[] IS NULL OR     sender  = ANY($4)  )" +
 	" AND ( $5::text[] IS NULL OR NOT(sender  = ANY($5)) )" +
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ const selectStateInRangeFilteredSQL = "" +
 const selectStateInRangeSQL = "" +
 	"SELECT event_id, id, headered_event_json, exclude_from_sync, add_state_ids, remove_state_ids, history_visibility" +
 	" FROM syncapi_output_room_events" +
-	" WHERE (id > $1 AND id <= $2) AND (add_state_ids IS NOT NULL OR remove_state_ids IS NOT NULL)" +
+	" WHERE (id > $1 AND id <= $2) AND (cardinality(add_state_ids) > 0 OR cardinality(remove_state_ids) > 0)" +
 	" AND room_id = ANY($3)" +
 	" ORDER BY id ASC"
 
diff --git a/syncapi/storage/shared/storage_sync.go b/syncapi/storage/shared/storage_sync.go
index 77afa0290..361fc9ff5 100644
--- a/syncapi/storage/shared/storage_sync.go
+++ b/syncapi/storage/shared/storage_sync.go
@@ -329,7 +329,13 @@ func (d *DatabaseTransaction) GetStateDeltas(
 	}
 
 	// get all the state events ever (i.e. for all available rooms) between these two positions
-	stateNeededFiltered, eventMapFiltered, err := d.OutputEvents.SelectStateInRange(ctx, d.txn, r, stateFilter, allRoomIDs)
+	stateNeededFiltered := stateNeeded
+	eventMapFiltered := eventMap
+	// avoid hitting the database if the result would be the same as above
+	if stateFilter != nil {
+		stateNeededFiltered, eventMapFiltered, err = d.OutputEvents.SelectStateInRange(ctx, d.txn, r, stateFilter, allRoomIDs)
+	}
+
 	if err != nil {
 		if err == sql.ErrNoRows {
 			return nil, nil, nil