diff --git a/.betterer.results b/.betterer.results
index 0451b551542..b9583524e94 100644
--- a/.betterer.results
+++ b/.betterer.results
@@ -4532,8 +4532,7 @@ exports[`better eslint`] = {
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "2"],
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "3"],
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "4"],
-      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "5"],
-      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "6"]
+      [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "5"]
     ],
     "public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardMigrator.test.ts:5381": [
       [0, 0, 0, "Unexpected any. Specify a different type.", "0"],
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/services/TimeSrv.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/services/TimeSrv.test.ts
index c508b100c60..c9d4b6b341e 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/services/TimeSrv.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/services/TimeSrv.test.ts
@@ -253,24 +253,18 @@ describe('timeSrv', () => {
   });
 
   describe('pauseAutoRefresh', () => {
-    it('should set refresh to empty value', () => {
+    it('should set autoRefreshPaused to true', () => {
       _dashboard.refresh = '10s';
       timeSrv.pauseAutoRefresh();
-      expect(_dashboard.refresh).toBe('');
-    });
-
-    it('should set previousAutoRefresh value', () => {
-      _dashboard.refresh = '10s';
-      timeSrv.pauseAutoRefresh();
-      expect(timeSrv.previousAutoRefresh).toBe('10s');
+      expect(timeSrv.autoRefreshPaused).toBe(true);
     });
   });
 
   describe('resumeAutoRefresh', () => {
     it('should set refresh to empty value', () => {
-      timeSrv.previousAutoRefresh = '10s';
+      timeSrv.autoRefreshPaused = true;
       timeSrv.resumeAutoRefresh();
-      expect(_dashboard.refresh).toBe('10s');
+      expect(timeSrv.autoRefreshPaused).toBe(false);
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/services/TimeSrv.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/services/TimeSrv.ts
index cf3b7e7f6e1..e9792b20e9e 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/services/TimeSrv.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/services/TimeSrv.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ export class TimeSrv {
   time: any;
   refreshTimer: any;
   refresh: any;
-  previousAutoRefresh: any;
+  autoRefreshPaused = false;
   oldRefresh: string | null | undefined;
   timeModel?: TimeModel;
   timeAtLoad: any;
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ export class TimeSrv {
 
     this.refreshTimer = setTimeout(() => {
       this.startNextRefreshTimer(intervalMs);
-      this.refreshTimeModel();
+      !this.autoRefreshPaused && this.refreshTimeModel();
     }, intervalMs);
 
     const refresh = this.contextSrv.getValidInterval(interval);
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ export class TimeSrv {
     this.refreshTimer = setTimeout(() => {
       this.startNextRefreshTimer(afterMs);
       if (this.contextSrv.isGrafanaVisible()) {
-        this.refreshTimeModel();
+        !this.autoRefreshPaused && this.refreshTimeModel();
       } else {
         this.autoRefreshBlocked = true;
       }
@@ -264,13 +264,13 @@ export class TimeSrv {
   // store timeModel refresh value and pause auto-refresh in some places
   // i.e panel edit
   pauseAutoRefresh() {
-    this.previousAutoRefresh = this.timeModel?.refresh;
-    this.setAutoRefresh('');
+    this.autoRefreshPaused = true;
   }
 
   // resume auto-refresh based on old dashboard refresh property
   resumeAutoRefresh() {
-    this.setAutoRefresh(this.previousAutoRefresh);
+    this.autoRefreshPaused = false;
+    this.refreshTimeModel();
   }
 
   setTime(time: RawTimeRange, updateUrl = true) {
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardModel.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardModel.test.ts
index da4e8165a8e..77e0c59af21 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardModel.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardModel.test.ts
@@ -976,7 +976,7 @@ describe('exitViewPanel', () => {
 });
 
 describe('exitPanelEditor', () => {
-  function getTestContext(setPreviousAutoRefresh = false) {
+  function getTestContext(pauseAutoRefresh = false) {
     const panel: any = { destroy: jest.fn() };
     const dashboard = new DashboardModel({});
     const timeSrvMock = {
@@ -986,8 +986,8 @@ describe('exitPanelEditor', () => {
     } as unknown as TimeSrv;
     dashboard.startRefresh = jest.fn();
     dashboard.panelInEdit = panel;
-    if (setPreviousAutoRefresh) {
-      timeSrvMock.previousAutoRefresh = '5s';
+    if (pauseAutoRefresh) {
+      timeSrvMock.autoRefreshPaused = true;
     }
     setTimeSrv(timeSrvMock);
     return { dashboard, panel, timeSrvMock };