diff --git a/include/sysemu/hvf_int.h b/include/sysemu/hvf_int.h
index c56baa3ae8..5f15119184 100644
--- a/include/sysemu/hvf_int.h
+++ b/include/sysemu/hvf_int.h
@@ -62,8 +62,6 @@ extern HVFState *hvf_state;
 struct hvf_vcpu_state {
     uint64_t fd;
     void *exit;
-    struct timespec ts;
-    bool sleeping;
 };
 
 void assert_hvf_ok(hv_return_t ret);
diff --git a/target/arm/hvf/hvf.c b/target/arm/hvf/hvf.c
index 8fe10966d2..31db6fca68 100644
--- a/target/arm/hvf/hvf.c
+++ b/target/arm/hvf/hvf.c
@@ -320,18 +320,7 @@ int hvf_arch_init_vcpu(CPUState *cpu)
 
 void hvf_kick_vcpu_thread(CPUState *cpu)
 {
-    if (cpu->hvf->sleeping) {
-        /*
-         * When sleeping, make sure we always send signals. Also, clear the
-         * timespec, so that an IPI that arrives between setting hvf->sleeping
-         * and the nanosleep syscall still aborts the sleep.
-         */
-        cpu->thread_kicked = false;
-        cpu->hvf->ts = (struct timespec){ };
-        cpus_kick_thread(cpu);
-    } else {
-        hv_vcpus_exit(&cpu->hvf->fd, 1);
-    }
+    hv_vcpus_exit(&cpu->hvf->fd, 1);
 }
 
 static int hvf_inject_interrupts(CPUState *cpu)
@@ -355,17 +344,11 @@ int hvf_vcpu_exec(CPUState *cpu)
     CPUARMState *env = &arm_cpu->env;
     hv_vcpu_exit_t *hvf_exit = cpu->hvf->exit;
     hv_return_t r;
-    int ret = 0;
-
-    qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
 
-    do {
+    while (1) {
         bool advance_pc = false;
 
-        qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
-        current_cpu = cpu;
         qemu_wait_io_event_common(cpu);
-        qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
 
         flush_cpu_state(cpu);
 
@@ -374,10 +357,10 @@ int hvf_vcpu_exec(CPUState *cpu)
         }
 
         if (cpu->halted) {
-            qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
             return EXCP_HLT;
         }
 
+        qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
         assert_hvf_ok(hv_vcpu_run(cpu->hvf->fd));
 
         /* handle VMEXIT */
@@ -385,15 +368,13 @@ int hvf_vcpu_exec(CPUState *cpu)
         uint64_t syndrome = hvf_exit->exception.syndrome;
         uint32_t ec = syn_get_ec(syndrome);
 
+        qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
         switch (exit_reason) {
         case HV_EXIT_REASON_EXCEPTION:
             /* This is the main one, handle below. */
             break;
         case HV_EXIT_REASON_VTIMER_ACTIVATED:
-            qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
-            current_cpu = cpu;
             qemu_set_irq(arm_cpu->gt_timer_outputs[GTIMER_VIRT], 1);
-            qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
             continue;
         case HV_EXIT_REASON_CANCELED:
             /* we got kicked, no exit to process */
@@ -402,7 +383,6 @@ int hvf_vcpu_exec(CPUState *cpu)
             assert(0);
         }
 
-        ret = 0;
         switch (ec) {
         case EC_DATAABORT: {
             bool isv = syndrome & ARM_EL_ISV;
@@ -413,9 +393,6 @@ int hvf_vcpu_exec(CPUState *cpu)
             uint32_t srt = (syndrome >> 16) & 0x1f;
             uint64_t val = 0;
 
-            qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
-            current_cpu = cpu;
-
             DPRINTF("data abort: [pc=0x%llx va=0x%016llx pa=0x%016llx isv=%x "
                     "iswrite=%x s1ptw=%x len=%d srt=%d]\n",
                     env->pc, hvf_exit->exception.virtual_address,
@@ -446,8 +423,6 @@ int hvf_vcpu_exec(CPUState *cpu)
                 hvf_set_reg(cpu, srt, val);
             }
 
-            qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
-
             advance_pc = true;
             break;
         }
@@ -491,83 +466,18 @@ int hvf_vcpu_exec(CPUState *cpu)
             break;
         }
         case EC_WFX_TRAP:
-            if (!(syndrome & WFX_IS_WFE) && !(cpu->interrupt_request &
-                (CPU_INTERRUPT_HARD | CPU_INTERRUPT_FIQ))) {
-                uint64_t cval, ctl, val, diff, now;
-
-                /* Set up a local timer for vtimer if necessary ... */
-                r = hv_vcpu_get_sys_reg(cpu->hvf->fd, HV_SYS_REG_CNTV_CTL_EL0, &ctl);
-                assert_hvf_ok(r);
-                r = hv_vcpu_get_sys_reg(cpu->hvf->fd, HV_SYS_REG_CNTV_CVAL_EL0, &cval);
-                assert_hvf_ok(r);
-
-                asm volatile("mrs %0, cntvct_el0" : "=r"(val));
-                diff = cval - val;
-
-                now = qemu_clock_get_ns(QEMU_CLOCK_VIRTUAL) /
-                      gt_cntfrq_period_ns(arm_cpu);
-
-                /* Timer disabled or masked, just wait for long */
-                if (!(ctl & 1) || (ctl & 2)) {
-                    diff = (120 * NANOSECONDS_PER_SECOND) /
-                           gt_cntfrq_period_ns(arm_cpu);
-                }
-
-                if (diff < INT64_MAX) {
-                    uint64_t ns = diff * gt_cntfrq_period_ns(arm_cpu);
-                    struct timespec *ts = &cpu->hvf->ts;
-
-                    *ts = (struct timespec){
-                        .tv_sec = ns / NANOSECONDS_PER_SECOND,
-                        .tv_nsec = ns % NANOSECONDS_PER_SECOND,
-                    };
-
-                    /*
-                     * Waking up easily takes 1ms, don't go to sleep for smaller
-                     * time periods than 2ms.
-                     */
-                    if (!ts->tv_sec && (ts->tv_nsec < (SCALE_MS * 2))) {
-                        advance_pc = true;
-                        break;
-                    }
-
-                    /* Set cpu->hvf->sleeping so that we get a SIG_IPI signal. */
-                    cpu->hvf->sleeping = true;
-                    smp_mb();
-
-                    /* Bail out if we received an IRQ meanwhile */
-                    if (cpu->thread_kicked || (cpu->interrupt_request &
-                        (CPU_INTERRUPT_HARD | CPU_INTERRUPT_FIQ))) {
-                        cpu->hvf->sleeping = false;
-                        break;
-                    }
-
-                    /* nanosleep returns on signal, so we wake up on kick. */
-                    nanosleep(ts, NULL);
-
-                    /* Out of sleep - either naturally or because of a kick */
-                    cpu->hvf->sleeping = false;
-                }
-
-                advance_pc = true;
-            }
             break;
         case EC_AA64_HVC:
             cpu_synchronize_state(cpu);
-            qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
-            current_cpu = cpu;
             if (arm_is_psci_call(arm_cpu, EXCP_HVC)) {
                 arm_handle_psci_call(arm_cpu);
             } else {
                 DPRINTF("unknown HVC! %016llx", env->xregs[0]);
                 env->xregs[0] = -1;
             }
-            qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
             break;
         case EC_AA64_SMC:
             cpu_synchronize_state(cpu);
-            qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
-            current_cpu = cpu;
             if (arm_is_psci_call(arm_cpu, EXCP_SMC)) {
                 arm_handle_psci_call(arm_cpu);
             } else {
@@ -575,7 +485,6 @@ int hvf_vcpu_exec(CPUState *cpu)
                 env->xregs[0] = -1;
                 env->pc += 4;
             }
-            qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
             break;
         default:
             cpu_synchronize_state(cpu);
@@ -594,10 +503,5 @@ int hvf_vcpu_exec(CPUState *cpu)
             r = hv_vcpu_set_reg(cpu->hvf->fd, HV_REG_PC, pc);
             assert_hvf_ok(r);
         }
-    } while (ret == 0);
-
-    qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
-    current_cpu = cpu;
-
-    return ret;
+    }
 }
