diff --git a/src/mem/impls.rs b/src/mem/impls.rs
index b3eef9901..1e8bef67b 100644
--- a/src/mem/impls.rs
+++ b/src/mem/impls.rs
@@ -1,27 +1,211 @@
+use core::intrinsics::likely;
+
+const WORD_SIZE: usize = core::mem::size_of::<usize>();
+const WORD_MASK: usize = WORD_SIZE - 1;
+
+const WORD_COPY_THRESHOLD: usize = 2 * WORD_SIZE;
+
+#[inline(always)]
+unsafe fn copy_forward_bytes(mut dest: *mut u8, mut src: *const u8, n: usize) {
+    let dest_end = dest.add(n);
+    while dest < dest_end {
+        *dest = *src;
+        dest = dest.add(1);
+        src = src.add(1);
+    }
+}
+
 #[inline(always)]
-pub unsafe fn copy_forward(dest: *mut u8, src: *const u8, n: usize) {
-    let mut i = 0;
-    while i < n {
-        *dest.add(i) = *src.add(i);
-        i += 1;
+unsafe fn copy_forward_aligned_words(dest: *mut u8, src: *const u8, n: usize) {
+    let mut dest_usize = dest as *mut usize;
+    let mut src_usize = src as *mut usize;
+    let dest_end = dest.add(n) as *mut usize;
+
+    while dest_usize < dest_end {
+        *dest_usize = *src_usize;
+        dest_usize = dest_usize.add(1);
+        src_usize = src_usize.add(1);
     }
 }
 
 #[inline(always)]
-pub unsafe fn copy_backward(dest: *mut u8, src: *const u8, n: usize) {
-    // copy from end
-    let mut i = n;
-    while i != 0 {
-        i -= 1;
-        *dest.add(i) = *src.add(i);
+unsafe fn copy_forward_misaligned_words(dest: *mut u8, src: *const u8, n: usize) {
+    let mut dest_usize = dest as *mut usize;
+    let dest_end = dest.add(n) as *mut usize;
+
+    // Calculate the misalignment offset and shift needed to reassemble value.
+    let offset = src as usize & WORD_MASK;
+    let shift = offset * 8;
+
+    // Realign src
+    let mut src_aligned = (src as usize & !WORD_MASK) as *mut usize;
+    // XXX: Could this possibly be UB?
+    let mut prev_word = *src_aligned;
+
+    while dest_usize < dest_end {
+        src_aligned = src_aligned.add(1);
+        let cur_word = *src_aligned;
+        let resembled = prev_word >> shift | cur_word << (WORD_SIZE * 8 - shift);
+        prev_word = cur_word;
+
+        *dest_usize = resembled;
+        dest_usize = dest_usize.add(1);
+    }
+}
+
+#[inline(always)]
+pub unsafe fn copy_forward(mut dest: *mut u8, mut src: *const u8, mut n: usize) {
+    if likely(n >= WORD_COPY_THRESHOLD) {
+        // Align dest
+        // Because of n >= 2 * WORD_SIZE, dst_misalignment < n
+        let dest_misalignment = (dest as usize).wrapping_neg() & WORD_MASK;
+        copy_forward_bytes(dest, src, dest_misalignment);
+        dest = dest.add(dest_misalignment);
+        src = src.add(dest_misalignment);
+        n -= dest_misalignment;
+
+        let n_words = n & !WORD_MASK;
+        let src_misalignment = src as usize & WORD_MASK;
+        if likely(src_misalignment == 0) {
+            copy_forward_aligned_words(dest, src, n_words);
+        } else {
+            copy_forward_misaligned_words(dest, src, n_words);
+        }
+        dest = dest.add(n_words);
+        src = src.add(n_words);
+        n -= n_words;
+    }
+    copy_forward_bytes(dest, src, n);
+}
+
+// The following backward copy helper functions except the public-facing copy_backward
+// uses the pointers past the end as their inputs instead of pointers to the start!
+
+#[inline(always)]
+unsafe fn copy_backward_bytes(mut dest: *mut u8, mut src: *const u8, n: usize) {
+    let dest_start = dest.sub(n);
+    while dest_start < dest {
+        dest = dest.sub(1);
+        src = src.sub(1);
+        *dest = *src;
+    }
+}
+
+#[inline(always)]
+unsafe fn copy_backward_aligned_words(dest: *mut u8, src: *const u8, n: usize) {
+    let mut dest_usize = dest as *mut usize;
+    let mut src_usize = src as *mut usize;
+    let dest_start = dest.sub(n) as *mut usize;
+
+    while dest_start < dest_usize {
+        dest_usize = dest_usize.sub(1);
+        src_usize = src_usize.sub(1);
+        *dest_usize = *src_usize;
     }
 }
 
 #[inline(always)]
-pub unsafe fn set_bytes(s: *mut u8, c: u8, n: usize) {
-    let mut i = 0;
-    while i < n {
-        *s.add(i) = c;
-        i += 1;
+unsafe fn copy_backward_misaligned_words(dest: *mut u8, src: *const u8, n: usize) {
+    let mut dest_usize = dest as *mut usize;
+    let dest_start = dest.sub(n) as *mut usize;
+
+    // Calculate the misalignment offset and shift needed to reassemble value.
+    let offset = src as usize & WORD_MASK;
+    let shift = offset * 8;
+
+    // Realign src_aligned
+    let mut src_aligned = (src as usize & !WORD_MASK) as *mut usize;
+    // XXX: Could this possibly be UB?
+    let mut prev_word = *src_aligned;
+
+    while dest_start < dest_usize {
+        src_aligned = src_aligned.sub(1);
+        let cur_word = *src_aligned;
+        let resembled = prev_word << (WORD_SIZE * 8 - shift) | cur_word >> shift;
+        prev_word = cur_word;
+
+        dest_usize = dest_usize.sub(1);
+        *dest_usize = resembled;
+    }
+}
+
+#[inline(always)]
+pub unsafe fn copy_backward(dest: *mut u8, src: *const u8, mut n: usize) {
+    let mut dest = dest.add(n);
+    let mut src = src.add(n);
+
+    if likely(n >= WORD_COPY_THRESHOLD) {
+        // Align dest
+        // Because of n >= 2 * WORD_SIZE, dst_misalignment < n
+        let dest_misalignment = dest as usize & WORD_MASK;
+        copy_backward_bytes(dest, src, dest_misalignment);
+        dest = dest.sub(dest_misalignment);
+        src = src.sub(dest_misalignment);
+        n -= dest_misalignment;
+
+        let n_words = n & !WORD_MASK;
+        let src_misalignment = src as usize & WORD_MASK;
+        if likely(src_misalignment == 0) {
+            copy_backward_aligned_words(dest, src, n_words);
+        } else {
+            copy_backward_misaligned_words(dest, src, n_words);
+        }
+        dest = dest.sub(n_words);
+        src = src.sub(n_words);
+        n -= n_words;
+    }
+    copy_backward_bytes(dest, src, n);
+}
+
+#[inline(always)]
+pub unsafe fn set_bytes_bytes(mut s: *mut u8, c: u8, n: usize) {
+    let end = s.add(n);
+    while s < end {
+        *s = c;
+        s = s.add(1);
+    }
+}
+
+#[inline(always)]
+pub unsafe fn set_bytes_words(s: *mut u8, c: u8, n: usize) {
+    let mut broadcast = c as usize;
+    broadcast |= broadcast << 8;
+    #[cfg(not(target_pointer_width = "16"))]
+    {
+        broadcast |= broadcast << 16;
+        #[cfg(not(target_pointer_width = "32"))]
+        {
+            broadcast |= broadcast << 32;
+            #[cfg(not(target_pointer_width = "64"))]
+            {
+                broadcast |= broadcast << 64;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    let mut s_usize = s as *mut usize;
+    let end = s.add(n) as *mut usize;
+
+    while s_usize < end {
+        *s_usize = broadcast;
+        s_usize = s_usize.add(1);
+    }
+}
+
+#[inline(always)]
+pub unsafe fn set_bytes(mut s: *mut u8, c: u8, mut n: usize) {
+    if likely(n >= WORD_COPY_THRESHOLD) {
+        // Bec// Align dest
+        // Because of n >= 2 * WORD_SIZE, dst_misalignment < n
+        let misalignment = (s as usize).wrapping_neg() & WORD_MASK;
+        set_bytes_bytes(s, c, misalignment);
+        s = s.add(misalignment);
+        n -= misalignment;
+
+        let n_words = n & !WORD_MASK;
+        set_bytes_words(s, c, n_words);
+        s = s.add(n_words);
+        n -= n_words;
     }
+    set_bytes_bytes(s, c, n);
 }